Mercedes Releases New F1 Car for 2019

The Mercedes Formula One car, known as the W10, has recently hit the track for the very first time at the popular Silverstone racetrack. The Mercedes W10 is the F1 car that Lewis Hamilton will use to potentially defend his world championship in 2019. It is also the F1 car that the Mercedes team will hope to deliver a 6th consecutive constructors championship that will equal the record held by Ferrari for successive victories.

The dominance by Mercedes in F1 since the last major regulation to engine change during 2014 has witnessed them winning the past five championships and a total of 74 races from 100. Along with Toro Rosso and Red Bull, the W10 will be the first car to test around the Silverstone racetrack as the team dedicated one of the filing days to a phenomenal shakedown of the new W10. Valtteri Bottas will have the first go before he hands it over the Hamilton. The two racers will only have 100km to test the new car according to filing regulations. Once testing is completed, it will go to Barcelona for the official pre-season testing during the opening day on Monday.

Comments from the Mercedes Team

“A new set of challenges will be presented for all of us during the 2019 season,” Toto Wolff stated. “There have been a few significant changes to the regulations this year. Therefore, we need to start from scratch which means we need to prove our worth once again against our competitors and against our own expectations. The season starts with zero points and therefore we will take nothing for granted which means there’s no feeling of entitlement to be in pole position. Due to the new regulations, each team will have a shot at the title and we see each of them as a potential threat.”

Hamilton also commented, stating: “This will be my 7th year with the Mercedes team and the determination and energy in the team is truly inspiring. The atmosphere truly starts at the beginning of a new season once you see how the car comes together. After that, you get to the shakedown and get the opportunity to drive the car. Believe me, its something that never gets old.”

The New Regulations in 2019

The new season will bring a brand-new set of changes to regulations in 2019. This includes revisions to the brake ducts, barge boards, rear and front wings in an attempt to improve overtaking. These changes have the potential to truly upset the order. However, James Allison, the technical director for Mercedes, is hopeful that these changes could also present the perfect opportunity for the team to finally cement their position at the top of the adrenaline-infused sport.

The W10 is a major improvement over the idiosyncratic W08. The Mercedes team were quite competitive when it came to the track which also plagued them in recent years. However, thanks to the improvements within the new W10, the team feels that they can be far more competitive this time around.