Mercedes W13 launch, 2022

First pictures: Mercedes reveals its new F1 car for 2022

2022 F1 season

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Mercedes has revealed the first images of its W13, its new car for the 2022 Formula 1 season.

The team which has produced the constructors’ championship winning car for the last eight years in a row presented its interpretation of F1’s radical new regulations. The W13 was presented in a revised livery, Mercedes having switched back to the silver colour scheme which it used until 2019, as had been tipped pre-season.

The W13 will be driven by Lewis Hamilton, who will again pursue an eighth world championship title following his narrow defeat at the end of last season, and new team mate George Russell. The former Mercedes junior driver moves up to the team after three years at Williams.

Team principal Toto Wolff is confident they have met the challenge posed by the drastic change in regulations for the 2022 season.

“We did pretty well during the last big regulatory change into the hybrid era and performed well when we went from the narrow to the wide cars in 2017,” he said. “While we have a good track record, my message is clear: we can’t rely on past success for this year’s performance, but we can rely on our people, our culture, our structure, and our mindset to do the best possible job for 2022.”

Pictures: 2022 Mercedes W13

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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63 comments on “First pictures: Mercedes reveals its new F1 car for 2022”

  1. The car shape makes liveries look better than they are.
    #boringbull
    #boringcedes

    1. Agreed. Also what’s with the Mercedes stars everywhere? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

      1. Maybe someone said to them there was too much AMG so now there is only Mercedes stars. I still like a lot how the new cars look but I was hoping more teams to do “a ferrari” and start the new generation of F1 with a fresh livery

        1. and now I just called the ferrari livery fresh.. but something different we haven’t seen a while

      2. @eljueta

        They probably thought that the design was still too clean, so they added them. I prefer it much cleaner.

      3. They had lots of stars on the old livery, but they were small and looked cool, especially with the one red start symbolizing Lauda. However, these big stars just looked super goofy and, frankly, cheap.

      4. Imo the AMG pattern wallpaper-like on the previous car looked much worse than this with the stars.
        It is less busy and a bit more creative.
        Although I liked the black car, that looked good with the turquoise.

  2. First impression… Don’t like the livery, do like the Alfa Romeo red. Car looks… quite simple? Nothing too innovative or new. Just looks like a well thought out racing car. But no doubt it will be class-leading regardless.

    1. It’s not the same car from the live presentation. The real car looks different and more agressive.

      1. I was watching the live presentation

        1. The floor is very different on the one live streamed just now…as @schmi says the live one looks much more aggressive

          1. A person somewhere
            18th February 2022, 10:14

            The floor, the nose, the wheel covers, the engine cover, the sidepods – and probably more – are all different.

  3. Fantastic livery but I think we’ve seen substantially less than yesterday with Ferrari. The leaked photos of the new Red Bull also suggest what we can expect from the top teams.

  4. Livery would have been fantastic if they just removed the Ineos red (or the Petronas green). Those green and red details do not match. Otherwise the car looks very nice.

  5. Similar to the Williams with the size zero sidepods and centerline cooling?

  6. The sidepods well not as extreme as Ferrari but there really slim and they tried to cut the space on the sides to maximize the airflow to the rear. You you get the impression that Mercedes have upgraded their successful car concept to the new regulations.

    1. YES it looks like last years car repackaged to fit new formula for 2022…and it still looks big and longer than the Ferraris and the mclarens…am surprised there are no gills or breathing cuts on the top back body cover like the Ferraris or Aston martins.
      Is there something Mercedes have missed….i hope not.

      1. That’s the feeling I get too. Mercedes could be hiding the true car similar to RedBull, but when you compare this to the Ferrari, leaked RedBull and even the Aston Martin it seems very basic. It’s actually very similar to the Williams. I expect the cars to change a lot before the first race, but the longer swooping side pods seem to be the way to go this year. Ferrari looks similar to the RedBull testing images. I get a feeling Mercedes have messed this one up.

      2. @spiderman
        Mercedes car concept in recent years has been about low rake long wheelbase that provides massive downforce from the floor combined to a very advanced mechanical part (suspensions) and the mighty power. RBR for example have a different approach with their high rake philosophy that make the diffuser work more efficiently.

        I don’t say that Mercedes have missed something, it’s about compromises and don’t forget that the PU layout with the split turbo dictates the shape of the car’s rear. Ferrari have had the luxury of knowing that they are already off the fight in 2020 and 2021 so they have tackled the new rules with a completely redesigned PU that they were forced to start working on in 2020.

      3. i doubt Mercedes or RB got it wrong… Based on recent history it is more likely Ferrari that usually get it wrong…. Will see….

  7. So a Silver return, after all, albeit not the first time, a driving suit color mismatches the predominant car color.
    Only the black Petronas text on the rear wing is something I didn’t foresee, but only a minor detail.

  8. What’s going on with that wavy ripple on the floor? Haven’t seen any other teams revealing a detail like that, though of course they may just have chosen not to reveal it. What do we think that will do?

    1. @davidhunter13 According to Craig Scarborough the waves pull air flow harder from under the floor adding downforce. I can’t recall having noticed them last season but Mercedes ran them until the Silverstone floor update, they experience.

    2. @davidhunter13 This is exactly why I love this pre-season stage in F1. I guess we’re only really seeing the tip of the iceberg with those ripples at the side.

      My guess goes something like: Given the new restrictions we know that the main goal for all teams is to maximize ground effect. That’s why all teams so far have gone for a push rod suspension to keep the air flow to the underside of the car as clean as possible, then straight infront of the intakes the Mercedes has a number of upright vanes to maintain laminar flow into the intake and also under the car. They then want to seal the floor of the car against the ground so that this clean air moves cleanly beneath the car causing predictable downforce. My guess on the ripples is that they remove an amount of squalling untidy vortices from the edge of the flow, squirting them out the side and washed away clear of the rear wheels and wing. While the clean air is left to move cleanly under the car at speed causing the car to be sucked cleanly and predictably to the ground.
      I’m guessing that’s the basic principal but there are many more factors involved with these ripples (like everything in F1!).

      1. Not all teams. Mclaren have gone with a pull rod suspension up front and push rod at the rear.

  9. Nice to see the Merc back in silver. Front wing endplates have some nice detailing, as do the ‘claws’ in front of the venturi tunnels. Nice aggressive look.

  10. The render looks different to the launch car. The front of the floor ahead of the sidepods looks like it’s managing air above the floor/around the car in the render, whereas in the launch video it seemed to be channeling air under the car. I wonder which one they’ll go for.

  11. I wish they used the INEOS red to make a red lip on the nosecone like they used to have in the West days (1997-onwards). That would look beautiful and classic.

  12. I love the big star pattern graphics. It is a distinctive and nice surprise element. I would have made the car number (Ineos) red to echo the Mercedes heritage of having red numbers on their early F1 cars. But other than that, a coherent, well balanced, and tastefully laid out livery: 9/10

    Yesterday’s Ferrari looks ace as well: 8/10, I am loving the black (wings) and red (body) combo. I am hoping for a three way fight: Mercedes versus Red Bull versus Ferrari. My top three liveries.

  13. Such slim side-pods. Very different than the fat Ferrari.

    Livery-wise, grey is not my favorite color anyways. And the black think font of AMG, Petronas and the black thick Mercedes stars seems to make it even more cluttered. Could have done better. But lets hope that is the only problem with this car :). That’s all that matters.

  14. Matthew Richard Bees
    18th February 2022, 10:07

    I agree – this is not the same as the car launched earlier at the Mercedes factory. The sidepod details look a bit different, and the venturi for the underfloor ground effect looks less aggressive in these pictures – hmmmm….

    It could be that the rendering was done sometime before the actual car was built, but lets wait and see what shows up at the 1st shakedown and testing sessions.

  15. This car looks big and long.MERCEDES have not ditched the long chassis style that makes them struggle in tracks like Monaco and Austria..

    1. @spiderman That was my thought, long and low rake. Again. Sigh. Though TBH that’s exactly what I expected.

      1. Ross Brawn has said that the new rules are intended to make the cars run at a lower rake angle because they have decided that it is better for the aesthetics of the cars. No team is going to be running high rake angles under the new rules – Mercedes are doing that because that is precisely what the new rules are designed to encourage.

      2. @david-br
        As explained by anon, the low rake long wheelbase approach is forced by the rules rather than a choice made by the team. Newey said last year that the 2022 rules will force RBR to abandon their high rake philosophy in order to maximize the advantage of the ground effect because the car has to run as close to the ground as possible.

      3. anon and @tifoso1989 Thanks for the explanation, makes sense, I missed that Newey comment and wasn’t really believing the unveiled Red Bull design, so expected something different.

    2. Wheelbase is limited this year, I think it’s 3.6m, shorter than last years shortest car on the grid. So my guess is that all teams are at that limit this year. If you think the Mercedes looks longer, it’s probably because it is very narrow with these tiny sidepods. Floor is definitely at maximum allowed width, just as everyone else.

  16. Those renders are (obviously) VERY different from the actual launch car

  17. It looks like a harpoon!

    1. @sonnycrockett My instant reaction. I was thinking arrow, but you’re right, a harpoon.

  18. No red star for Niki?

    1. Its up high on the side picture (with the car facing left), below the air intake

  19. My comments will be based on the car shown in the stream, not whatever this fake thing is…

    But it looks like Merc have “played it safe” somewhat – none of the radical design choices we’ve seen with Ferrari, Williams or (as hinted with) Alpine. Obviously, this is just the base spec of the car, and various parts will change before the they race in anger.

    That’s not to say it looks slow or basic, Mercedes know what they are doing and I suspect that tight packaging plays into a very specific aero plan.

    The more car launches we see, the more intrigued I am to see how they stack up, though!

    1. Interesting points, Luke. Although I guess the great job is underneath the car and not visible to all of us, I´m still wondering which one is the real car.

      Something curious — and a bit menacing — is that they had time to build two aero bases to work on.

  20. Its up high on the side picture (with the car facing left), below the air intake

  21. Best team on the grid lewis, rusell and toto

  22. Best team on the grid lewis, rusell and toto to win races upcoming season

    1. Very innovative to have the team boss drive the car!

      1. That’s the workaround to keep talking to the RD.
        Putting pressure and showing no respect.
        :)

  23. It seems to be more Williams or Haas like even in body shape than AM or Ferrari. Probably somewhere in between.

    It will be very interesting to see what the actual track car looks like and how it compares to RBR. Interesting that the presumed top two teams are keeping their cards close to their chest.

  24. Looks good, I think it’s more similar to the McLaren offering but expecting changes for the test next week.

  25. It’s funny how the car number on the engine cover has gotten progressively smaller to the point that it may as well not even be there now. No way you can read that trackside. The Ferrari was the same. It was a great concept in 2017. Not sure why it’s been allowed to fizzle.

  26. I’m not even sure what the point of these renders are short of showing off their new livery as the actual launch car is such as a different beast, and unlike the Red Bull, they released them on the same day.

  27. All of a sudden that Ferrari doesn’t seem so fast anymore.

  28. If these pictures are anything like the real thing, the sidepods treatment on the Mercedes look really clever, elegant and simple. Its got the undercut of the Aston (maybe not as radical but its there) and they also finish early promoting the coke bottle shape at the rear of the car. Also the air inlet is quite high up, which means more space for high velocity airflow into the floor. The front floor opening is huge and with quite a steep downward shape, looks like to increase air velocity under the floor and maximise ground effect.
    Obviously the proof is in the pudding and we will find out soon enough but those guys and girls at Mercedes dont sleep on the job.

  29. Simple design with nothing fancy. As long as it works as expected and is fast & reliable im ok with it.

  30. This year may be about who has the best side pod design and how the air comes off the back.

  31. Three hours after launch and RB haven’t protested it yet?

    1. Childish reaction but recognizable.

      1. Oh dear. I thought even you wouldn’t be triggered by that one.

        How about ‘its over lads, things got so much downforce they sent it out during a Red Warning Storm and its still standing.’

  32. It already looks like a winner to me. The slim side pod and intricate floor combined with their power unit, I’m sorry to say but Merc is the team to beat again this year.

  33. It’s a beauty, and up there with the Aston and Ferrari for me. I really hope we get 200mph kart racing this year with nobody way out in front.

  34. Now it’s starting to be really interesting. It looks like Mercedes have simply adopted what worked for them under the old rules to the new rules. Will that work for them? They have a tendency to bring way more detail to their car once the racing actually start, but the overall shaping is usually there on their launch cars. And this looks surprisingly conventional with such a big difference in aero regulation. I am personally hoping that some of the more new-thinking concepts seen at other teams pays off, but this could swing either way. So again, interesting…

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