One of the most eagerly-anticipated Formula 1 race car has been unveiled at Jerez, on the eve of the first day of pre-season testing.
The Mercedes W04 had a brief shakedown run at the Spanish track ahead of its official launch to the world’s media.
With a new driver line-up in the shape of the 2008 world champion Lewis Hamilton partnered with last season’s Chinese Grand Prix winner Nico Rosberg, the team have high expectations for the upcoming Formula 1 World Championship.
Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn said the new season “marks the start of a second era for our Silver Arrows works team”.
“The restructuring we undertook at the team over the past 18 months are now growing in maturity and this is reflected in the F1 W04, which is a clear step forward in design and detail sophistication over its predecessor.
“Many thousands of hours of work have been invested by our technical teams in Brackley and Brixworth to ensure that the new car delivers a step change in performance compared to last season.
“We are also hugely proud to welcome Lewis to the team as a works Mercedes-Benz driver. With Lewis and Nico, we have what I believe to be the strongest driver line-up in Formula One and I know that a healthy level of competition between them both will help drive the team forward.”
The W04 has been optimised around a new five-element front wing and a second-generation Coanda exhaust. The Silver Arrows also retains the pushrod front suspension and a pullrod rear suspension.
Check the video below as Nico Rosberg drives the W04 for the first time:
Follow the Mercedes team and the drivers via Twitter:
https://twitter.com/MercedesAMGF1
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News stories on the Mercedes W04 launch:
http://www1.skysports.com/formula-1/news/12472/8470858/The-new-Mercedes-W04-is-unveiled-by-Lewis-Hamilton-and-Nico-Rosberg-at-Jerez
http://www1.skysports.com/formula-1/news/12472/8471106/Nico-Rosberg-says-Mercedes-2013-car-the-W04-is-a-big-step-forward-on-2012
http://www1.skysports.com/formula-1/news/12472/8471234/Ross-Brawn-says-he-is-pretty-pleased-with-the-W04-after-it-made-its-track-debut
http://www1.skysports.com/formula1/gallery/24054/8470626/first-glimpse-of-the-w04
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula-one/21322248
http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2013/02/04/mercedes-w04-launch-pictures/
http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2013/02/04/hamilton-rid-buttons-mercedes/
Mercedes GP driver Nico Rosberg is not expecting a strong start to the new upcoming Formula 1 season. Autosport.com has the details.
Nico Rosberg does not expect Mercedes to repeat its early-season form from 2012 when this year’s Formula 1 campaign gets underway in Australia.
Mercedes was one of the form teams at the start of last year, culminating in Rosberg winning the Chinese Grand Prix in April.
But the F1 W03 fell off the pace as the year went on, and the German believes that the size of the gap to the leaders at the end of 2012 makes a strong start to this year unlikely.
“I’m confident, but to start the season as we did last year, being one of the fastest cars? Not so confident,” Rosberg told reporters following the launch of the 2013 F1 W04.
“The gap was quite big at the end of last year, and first we need to close that gap.
“That’s our main target for the start of the season, and I’m very confident we will manage to achieve that.
“Then the big improvement needs to be in the rate of development, because last year we really flattened off in the middle of the season.”
Rosberg got a chance to try the new car on Monday morning when he performed a few laps for filming purposes ahead of the official launch, and he was happy with how it felt.
“It was a great start this morning, everything went to plan,” he said. “It was all good and I could push straight away.
“The car was balanced well, so it was a very good start. As a result I look forward to driving a full test day tomorrow.
“We’ve made a big step over the winter. The team is working better in the factory, everything is improving.”
Lewis Hamilton insists that all he wants from his first year with Mercedes in Formula 1 is to see the team make progress and to settle in with his new squad.
Hamilton has played down expectations ever since announcing that he was quitting long-time backer and employer McLaren and putting his faith in the then-struggling Mercedes works team.
At the launch of the new W04 at Jerez on Monday, Hamilton said as the car was essentially a development of last year’s Mercedes, he was not expecting an overnight transformation.
“I have no idea where it is at the moment apart from seeing some aero results, and the guys have made some improvements, but it is still an evolution of last year’s car,” he said.
“This year is about trying to get settled in the team, get a good working relationship and working to steer this car in the right direction and also next year’s car.
“We have to deliver as a team, of course, but I am not a miracle worker. I’m going to work as hard as I can with the team to make steps forward.”
He said his initial focus would just be on finishing races, before building towards podiums and wins.
“The target is to improve on last year,” said Hamilton. “Last year they didn’t have a strong year.
Mercedes W04″They got one win, but they didn’t have enough podiums, didn’t have anywhere near the success they deserved.
“This year is about one step at a time. Finish the first race, getting on the podium, and then trying to win races.”
Mercedes won last year’s Chinese Grand Prix with Nico Rosberg, but claimed only two podium finishes thereafter – and none at all in the final 12 races of the campaign.
That led to Mercedes slipping back to fifth in the constructors’ championship with its lowest season score yet.
Source: Autosport.com
The new W04 has a number of innovations, Ross Brawn insists. Autosport.com has the news story.
Mercedes Formula 1 boss Ross Brawn says the new W04 car has a number of significant innovative concepts despite its similarities with last year’s version.
The Brackley-based squad unveiled its 2013 challenger at Jerez on Monday ahead of Tuesday’s opening test.
Although the W04 design looks similar to its predecessor, Brawn hinted as some hidden innovations.
“There are a number of concepts we have looked at, and no doubt when you see all the new cars you revisit some of the concepts, but this car has taken a good step forward in terms of aerodynamic performance,” said Brawn.
“I think there are some innovative things on the car and you probably need to look a bit deeper to see them.
“We are comfortable with the designs and solutions we have come up with; but we will see the first signs in the next few weeks and certainly at Melbourne.
“That will be the real test of everyone’s concepts and innovations – and that will be the true test.
“We are comfortable with what we have done.”
Brawn revealed the front wing design will change later in the week, with more updates to be introduced before the start of the season.
“We have some things that we are quite excited about which will appear in the next few weeks,” he said.
Brawn added his team is working on a passive double DRS like the one used by rival Lotus but admitted it was proving hard to get it to work properly.
Mercedes W04 launch”It is very difficult to get it to work, because there is historisis, or inertia, with the system, to get it to switch,” he said. “That makes it very tricky.
“I wouldn’t say that we have found a solution yet but we will doing some work on it in the next few tests and we will see where we are.
“We are keeping it there, we are still interested, we are still doing some work but I would not say we have found the right solution yet.
“I think that seems to be what most other people are experiencing, but we may see somebody find a solution and that will probably accelerate the development of the system.”
The Briton, whose team finished in fifth place in last year’s championship, said the goal for the year was to simply show continued progress.
“We have go forward. The commitment we have always made is to improve and we haven’t always done that,” said Brawn.
Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff has declared that his team needs stability most of all at present, despite continuing talk of changes in the technical management.
After Wolff and Niki Lauda arrived to take on major Mercedes roles over the winter, the team also approached McLaren technical chief Paddy Lowe, in a move that prompted reports that boss Ross Brawn would be ousted.
While Brawn has insisted he plans to stay and McLaren is adamant Lowe is not leaving in 2013, the longer-term picture remains unclear.
AUTOSPORT understands that Mercedes has continued to approach technical figures at rival teams during the winter, but while Wolff did not rule future changes, he insisted now was not the time for more tinkering.
“It would be foolish to take assumptions now, or take some things as fact,” he said. “I need some time to meet the people, speak to the people and get an overview, but I think what the teams needs utmost is stability.
“We are just ahead of a difficult season, a very important season for the team, so let’s keep the ball flat at the moment and see how it develops.”
He described the media storm over the Lowe situation as ‘unhelpful’.
“All the rumours about new people joining us are not good at this stage, and generally do not help,” said Wolff.
“I think Paddy is very well recognised and is one of the top guys in the paddock, and McLaren and many other top teams will be interested in him – but at this stage we cannot tell you more.
“He is at McLaren this year and let’s get on with our job and do the best possible in 2013.”
Source: Autosport.com
Q&A with Nico Rosberg courtesy from F1.com:
It may have only been a filming run on promo tyres, but Nico Rosberg at least got his first taste of his 2013 car on Monday, as the new Mercedes was launched ahead of testing at the Jerez circuit in Spain. And his first impressions? Not bad at all. Rosberg discusses the F1 W04, his new (and former karting) team mate Lewis Hamilton, the recent management changes at Mercedes, and more…
Q: Nico, you had the honour of doing the first 50 kilometres in the F1 W04. Simply put, what was your impression?
Nico Rosberg: It was a great start at exactly 10:21am. I took the car out of the garage and, wow, it immediately felt right – no problems at all. I have a new seat and what shall I say – it fits like a glove. Very comfortable! (laughs) I even managed to get the height right as you need to sit as low as possible. As it is very difficult to judge when you make adjustments in the factory – in a room where all dimensions are quite different – I was very lucky to get everything right, right from the start – and that with a cockpit that is tighter than that of the F1 W03. So with a comfy feeling I was able to push right away when I was out there doing my stuff. It was very enjoyable. Well balanced and well seated – in a word, a very good start. I am really excited about driving tomorrow for a full test day.
Q: Looking back at 2012, Mercedes had a very good first half of the season, only to let things slip in the second half. Will it be the same this year?
NR: Last year at the start of the season we had one of the fastest car – and, of course, that is our aim again. Unfortunately the gap to the frontrunners was quite big at the end of last year – and we definitely don’t want to repeat that. So our main target now is to close the gap that we had last November and get much closer again to the guys in the front. I am very confident that we will achieve that. We have made a big step forward over the winter. The factory is running smoother and smoother – and a number of great people have joined. Everything feels better: better communication, better organization – and the result is a much better car. Our goal at the beginning of the season is to be a lot closer – and then increase the development rate. Last year we probably nosedived a bit in that respect, but that is history and now our goal is to develop faster than the rest and eventually be fighting for a few wins.
Q: It’s now your fourth year with the team and Lewis Hamilton has just arrived. How do you expect that cooperation to unfold?
NR: First of all, I think this change is good. It is a big change – and big changes always hold significant opportunities. Of course it is a natural procedure that we will push each other – and together we will push the team. I am sure it will work very well. Remember, it worked very well in go-karting. Sure that’s quite some time ago for both of us, but there is no logical reason why it shouldn’t work again in F1. Or let’s put it a bit more dramatically – it must work again, definitely. We want to be the best Formula One team so the route is clear for both of us.
Q: Mechanically the car seems pretty different to what you had last season. What differences have you experienced right away and how much influence did you have on your new machine?
NR: Sure, there is input from my side, but to be fair it is limited to a certain extent. In the wind tunnel the guys were looking for the best aerodynamic design possible and there a driver has very little say. Regarding the mechanical side, yes, there is input possible from experiences in the simulator – suspension and that – and I’ve experienced the result today: it felt right today. But never forget that today we’ve been running promotional tyres for the launch and they are very different to the race tyres. I don’t think that I have to point out that it is the tyre that connects the car to the track, so they are very crucial and today’s rubber is nothing to compare to the real thing.
Q: Staying with the tyres, last season you had difficulties with the rear tyres. Will that again be something of a problem with the new Pirellis?
NR: I think the new Pirelli is not such a big change to the situation and the general tyre degradation. What is important is to have good grip and look that you don’t have that rare tyre degradation. We have focused on this issue a lot – but you also have to understand that it has something to do with the whole downforce of the car. If you have a lot of grip and a lot of downforce – and have a fast car – then you struggle a lot less with results.
Q: For a driver, stability in the team is very important. Now we all know that there has been a huge change in the management department. Is that irritating?
NR: It should not really have an effect as the main people – those building the car – stay the same. Their responsibilities haven’t changed. So there is stability. And regarding the big changes in 2014, I would imagine that changes are coming – and I consider that a good thing. What we need is stability in the short term and bringing in new ideas in the long term.
Q: Coming back to your new team mate, you just mentioned that you knew Lewis from your karting days, but that is quite a different game. Formula One racing is a very competitive environment. Will your relationship suffer?
NR: We definitely had a fantastic time back then. We were team mates for two years – travelling together, doing boyish tricks – but being tough competitors on the track. We were battling for the podiums and wins and it didn’t harm our friendship. So I don’t see any logical reason why it cannot be again like it was. We still get on very well off-track and in our sport competition is the spice that we are all here for – so let’s find the right balance and then everything is possible.
Q: You mentioned the tighter cockpit compared to last year? Does that mean there was unnecessary space on the 2012 car?
NR: No, it was not so – but what we did was we optimized the space with probably a bit less space for the guy behind the steering wheel.