Paul Jeffrey
Premium
The most successful team of the hybrid turbo era have revealed their new car - welcome to the world the Mercedes-AMG Petronas W10.
Looking set to defend their 2018 Drivers and Constructors World Championship with an unchanged line-up of newly minted five-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton once again alongside Finnish team-mate Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes have revealed the new W10 at Silverstone earlier today - taking the opportunity to not only show off the new car, but to record some initial laps at the British circuit ahead of shipping out for pre-season testing later this month.
Much like Red Bull, Mercedes have taken the opportunity to shake down the new car under filming conditions at the home of the British Grand Prix, using specially fitted Pirelli tyres and keeping running under 100km, in a bid to perform last minute system checks and ensure no initial teething troubles crop up with the new machine prior to serious running taking place over at Barcelona in just a few days time.
“The 2019 season will be a new challenge for all of us,” said Toto Wolff, Team Principal & CEO. “The regulations have changed quite substantially. We have to start from scratch, we need to prove ourselves again – against our own expectations and against our competitors. We start the season with zero points, so we’re taking nothing for granted and there’s absolutely no feeling of entitlement to be at the front. In fact, with the regulation change for the new season, every team can have a shot at the title and we’re seeing all of them as a potential threat.”
“Regulation changes are both opportunity and threat,” said Technical Director James Allison. “They are an opportunity because all the old assumptions about what you need to have to be quick are swept away and, if you are fleet of foot and smart in dealing with that, you can do better than all the other teams that are tackling the same change. They are a threat because if you are not as smart and you didn’t see how to make the most of these new regulations, then you’ll certainly suffer in the coming season. But they are always exhilarating because you have that sharp sense of anxiety that you might not be doing enough but equally the thrill and excitement of looking forward to finding out.”
The new car obviously takes advantage of the latest technical regulations, however perhaps most notable is a very nice new take on the traditional Silver Arrows colour scheme, Mercedes coming out with a refreshed design that looks very neat and impressive on the new car - one of my favourite designs revealed so far!
To check out when the next cars are set to be revealed, and how to watch it all unfold live, check out THIS LINK.
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