“The season 2020 will be a special challenge because some groups spend a lot of their attention on 2020 while others will start putting their resources on 2021 to postpone. It is crucial to get the stability right, change into as soon as it is anything but easy, ”said Toto Wolff. “However, our goal is clear: we want both 2020 and 2021 be competitive. That is the big challenge, but the bigger the challenge, the better we find it. ”
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The Mercedes-AMG F1 W 11 EQ Efficiency bears the proud name “EQ Efficiency” in its name. As part of the Mercedes-AMG strategy, “EQ Efficiency” stands for the future efficiency hybrid models from Mercedes-AMG. With the name “EQ Efficiency” stands the 2020 he Formula 1 car with its ultra-modern hybrid vitality -Unit at the top of the future Mercedes-AMG vehicle range. It is the best example of Formula One technology pioneering the future of racing and the automotive industry in general. The term “W 11 “stands for the eleventh Formula 1 car that Mercedes has returned to the premier class in the year 2010.
Winter was very busy in the factories in order to develop, manufacture and assemble the new components and systems for the new vehicle. More than 100.00 0 parts went through the inspection and 40. 00 0 components were subjected to non-destructive testing. The crew made sure that they met his requirements. All in all, more than 8. 00 0 parts drawn, which then went through the manufacturing and testing process.
“The atmosphere is very calm and concentrated this year. Usaallen is aware that we have to do our jobs and deliver results to meet our own expectations. That is why everyone is working very hard to ensure that we are prepared in the best possible way, ”said Toto. “We don't take victories or titles for granted and we know that as every year we have to fight extremely hard for them. That has always been our mentality. ”
Today's exit takes place as part of an official film day on which the crew 100 km may travel. The team also completes the last system checks before the first winter test in Barcelona. This first test and film day is commonly referred to as a shakedown and takes place on the 2nd, 98 km long Silverstone Global Circuit.
After completing their intensive training program during the winter break in preparation for the upcoming season, both drivers were particularly excited about getting back in the car before the shakedown.
“It is a real privilege for Valtteri and me to be the only drivers allowed to drive this car and I am really looking forward to it,” said Lewis Hamilton. “I was in constant contact with the engineers and tried to keep an eye on it, change into as soon as happened in the factory. Today is a really exciting build where we can finally see for ourselves what the crew has worked so hard for. As a driver, you are really keen to be back in the cockpit. ”
“It was the first time that I went to the factory for a few meetings with the engineers a few weeks ago,” said Valtteri. “We have been in touch ever since. It was very interesting to get more and more involved and to learn more about our tools for the upcoming season. The development and production of a new car is never straightforward. Every year an enormous effort is required from every single team member. Now it really starts and I am very excited to finally get the chance to drive the new car. I can hardly wait to take a seat behind the wheel. ”
“The shakedown has always been important, but it is particularly crucial this year. It is our last chance to make sure that everything is correct before the first official winter test day. If everything goes well during the shakedown, we are in a good voice to be on the first day of testing in Barcelona at 9: 00 driving out of the field and doing laps, ”said Technical Director James Allison. “Due to the shortened winter test program, it is u.s. more important to check everything off during the shakedown so that we can get everything out, change into as soon as is possible. ”
Stable regulations for the new season
The Mercedes-AMG F1 W 11 EQ Efficiency is an evolution of its predecessor, hence the car with which Mercedes was able to win the historic sixth world championship double in a row. The crew looked at a variety of areas to improve the car and much of the more than 10. 00 0 parts of the vehicle changed in order to improve efficiency to increase. The Mercedes-AMG F1 W 11 EQ Efficiency should be the fastest racing car that Mercedes has ever built.
“The regulations remained largely unchanged for the new year. So for us it was all about making sure that when we developed a car that worked well last year, the momentum wasn't lost, ”said James. “We wanted to change aspects of the vehicle concept. Aspects that are impossible to change during a season. So we wanted to create a more productive basis for the new season. We made a few well-thought-out changes to the architecture in order to continue the development despite the relatively unchanged rules. ”
In addition to a variety of detail changes and minor improvements, the crew focused on three major changes over the winter: one at the front, one in the middle and one at the rear of the car.
“At the front, we accept greater structural complexity around the wishbones and wheel rims in order to get a more powerful assembly overall,” said James. “In the middle of the vehicle we go with the paddock constructing and push the upper side rupture structure into a deeper voice and take the aerodynamic advantage that this arrangement brings. At the rear of the car, we decided, among other things, to experiment with a suspension layout to create opportunities for further aerodynamic development. All three changes were improvements in isolation, but the actual effect is a set of secondary aerodynamic benefits, both during the winter and hopefully over the coming season. ”
Last year, after the first week of testing, the crew brought a significant upgrade package for the car, which made the look of the vehicle for Melbourne significantly different from the Commence model. This year the racing version will be much closer to the vehicle that is used today in Silverstone.
“We'll have upgrades again for Melbourne coming in the second week of testing, but it won't be like 2019 give a completely new car, ”said James. “The rules were changed quite significantly last year and the decision to do so was made quite late in the year. Under these circumstances, among other things, a Commence car in week one and a vehicle for the second week gave us the opportunity to learn the best possible lessons for our Melbourne car. This year the rules are more stable and since the development for the 2020 he car started at the level on which last year's vehicle was at the end of the season, it would make no sense to repeat the approach from the previous year. ”
A new vitality unit: the Mercedes-AMG F1 M 11 EQ Efficiency
Similar to the further development on the chassis side, the new vitality unit with the name Mercedes-AMG F1 M 11 EQ Efficiency is an evolution. In this area too, the regulations remained largely unchanged over the winter. While the rules for the chassis are entering its second relatively stable year, there have been no major changes on the part of the Vitality Unit since the introduction of the current period of 1.6-liter V6 hybrid engines in the year 2014. The search for efficiency for the crew is more difficult.
“We had to develop an even broader area of PU and, among other things, looked at each individual system,” said Andy Cowell, Managing Director of Mercedes-AMG High Efficiency Powertrains. “We have worked on a number of projects that, as a whole, will hopefully help make the car faster on the racetrack, while giving the aerodynamic crew more opportunities to make improvements.”
Over the past six years since the regulations were introduced, Mercedes has made significant progress with PU, not only in terms of performance and reliability, but also in terms of efficiency. From 2014 to today the thermal efficiency of around 44 percent on more than 50 percent increased. Thermal efficiency stands for the ability of an engine to convert the energy from gasoline into usable work. An efficiency of more than 50 percent means that more than half of the energy from the fuel can be used to drive the vehicle. This makes the F1 Vitality Unit the most efficient internal combustion engine ever built. A typical road car normally achieves a thermal efficiency of 30 percent.
It is not an easy task to find new solutions to increase efficiency and reliability when stable regulations are already in their seventh year. In this case, success largely depends on the right attitude.
“There is no perfection, but there is always an opportunity to improve – and it is exactly this attitude that we all have,” said Andy. “We improve every component: the materials, the components and the components, but also the motto of our tools. You know there are things you can do better. The heart of this mentality is to be self-critical and open-minded. ”
The previous year's car had difficulties with high ambient temperatures. The team members worked on both Brackley and Brixworth on the cooling package of the W 11 to improve. In addition to larger radiators on the car, the crew focused on making cooling more efficient by increasing the engine's operating temperatures.
“We are making significant efforts to ensure that all coolants in the Vitality Unit work at higher temperatures,” said Andy. “This increases the temperature difference between the cooling liquids and the ambient temperature of the race, which increases the efficiency of the cooling system. However, this is a tough nut to crack because large parts of the engine are made of aluminum and the operating temperatures mean that the material properties decrease fairly quickly. It is a difficult task for the engineers to achieve this over the intended distance of eight races for a vitality unit cycle. As vitality unit engineers, we not only focus on crankshaft performance, we also pay particular attention to packaging and reducing the extra work for aerodynamics engineers so that they can concentrate mainly on the car sticking in the corners . ”
Ten-year anniversary for the Mercedes factory team in Formula 1
The year 2020 is a very special one for the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Crew: the team celebrates its tenth year Anniversary of today's Mercedes works team in Formula 1. On 14. March 2010 the new Mercedes F1 crew went to the premier class in Bahrain for the first time to the Inaugurate. Since then it has almost 200 Formula 1 races (198) 93 victories, 194 Podiums and 48 Double wins.
“It is fantastic that the crew can celebrate its tenth anniversary this year,” said Toto Wolff. “More than 25 Years ago we returned to Formula 1 as an engine manufacturer and a decade later we focused on everything. This shows our long-term commitment both with our factory teams and as a vitality unit manufacturer for our valuable customers. We were in Formula 1 about technical changes to the rules and changes in the top management at Daimler, our commitment was not affected. It is great that we can now add our tenth anniversary with the Mercedes factory team as another milestone. ”
The year 2021 makes the season 2020 to an even bigger challenge
One of the biggest challenges this year will be to manage the balancing act between the further development of the current car and the preparations for the drastic rule changes next year. In the season 2021 Formula 1 expect the biggest technical rule changes in their history. For this reason, almost every part of the vehicle has to be completely redesigned and developed. In addition to the technical complexity of the rule changes 2021, the new financial regulations also come into force, as a result of which the Groups have to reposition themselves to meet the new challenges.
“In the season 2020, the regulations represent an evolution of the previous regulations, which means that the gains will be smaller , So you need more time and effort to improve your car, ”said Toto. “On the other hand, the changes to the regulations for the season 2021 are so drastic that you need a lot of time to prepare for it. With each month that you start later than your competitors, it becomes more difficult to catch up on their lead. At the same time, the cost limitation comes into effect, which means that fewer resources will be available to the crew in the year 2021. “
“This is an enormous challenge,” said Toto. “There have been a lot of rule changes in the past few years, but this time it's a two-year project. This makes 2020 the most difficult season, which is also a fantastic opportunity. This crew has proven time and time again that it loves challenges and we will tackle them with the same passion and determination that has made Mercedes so strong over the past few years. ”
A familiar, world-class driver duo for 2020
The Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Crew with Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas are sticking to the driver pairing with which it has been used in the years 2017, 2018 and 2019 won the constructors' world championship. Both drivers completed an intensive training program over the winter and are now eager to take a seat in the cockpit again.
“I had the best winter training ever,” said Lewis. “Over the winter I analyzed where we were last year and how I can improve as a driver and as a person. Consistency will be the key for all of us – not only in terms of reliability, but also for us drivers. The crew is working very hard to present this fantastic vehicle. But if we make a mistake, we all pay for it. That's why I tried to focus on how to take the next step as a driver, how to get more out of myself and the crew, and how I can do something great this year. It is my eighth year with the crew and I find the challenges this season expansive exciting. I have no doubt that every single team member will try again to raise the bar for themselves and that is exactly what I intend to do. ”
“My best winter training so far is behind me,” said Valtteri. “I trained a lot in different climates. I am ready and can hardly wait for the new season's Inaugurate. I also drove quite a bit – from rally cars to dog sledding in the snow in Finland. We are facing a big challenge this season, but I know that every single team member will give everything so that we are in the best possible voice for this fight. ”
The driver squad is completed by two drivers who will share the role of replacement pilots on the race weekends: Stoffel Vandoorne, racing driver of the Mercedes-Benz E Formula E Group, who will support the F1 crew, and Esteban Gutierrez, who will take on this role in addition to his duties as a simulator and development driver. Both Stoffel and Esteban make an important contribution to the crew this season with their tasks in the factory and on the racetrack.
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