The 2022 season is not so far as the pre-season testing is currently ongoing in the Bahrain International Circuit. The German powerhouse F1 team Mercedes brought a new upgrade to shock everyone. Also, the Formula One Managing Director shares his view on the upgraded Mercedes W13.
The last year’s Constructor Champions were pretty confident in their 2022 challenger. Further, the W13 also impressed in Barcelona pre-season testing, which took place on February 23-25. Because both the Mercedes drivers had an impressive performance with a first, second ranking on the sheets.
But there were speculations that the Brackley-based team didn’t reveal all their cards in Barcelona last month. It seems those rumors weren’t lying, as the Germans did come into the Bahrain testing with some major upgrades. The upgraded Mercedes W13 had side pods that were so tiny that they are near negligible. Further, they also added fins on the side to improve the airflow.
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Since the pictures of the new W13 from Bahrain went viral, there has been a heated debate about whether the 2022 Silver Arrow car is legal or not. Recently, the F1 Managing Director, Ross Brawn, shared his opinion on the matter. The 67-year-old has previously worked with many F1 teams, including the German F1 giants.
Brawn reported, “There are some very extreme interpretations of the regulations which could lead to a lot of debate.”
“We did not anticipate the Mercedes concept,” the F1 Managing Director further added to his statement.
Can Mercedes dominate F1 again in 2022?
Undoubtedly, the German constructors are one of the best Formula One teams. They totally dominated this sport over the past few years. However, the total dominance of Mercedes came to an after the Red Bull driver Max Verstappen lifted the Driver’s Championship and left the Germans with only the Contractor’s Championship last season.
After losing the driver’s title and barely winning the constructor’s title, Mercedes F1 has geared themselves for the 2022 season. Their new 2022 challenger has already proved its worth in the Barcelona testing and currently are impressing once again at the Bahrain pre-season testing.
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38 laps and counting for LH. 👊 A busy morning in the Bahrain heat. 🥵 pic.twitter.com/qDtXZm6Pfc
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) March 10, 2022
The Germans had a lot of challenges ahead of themselves because of the latest F1 rules and regulations. However, the Silver Arrows found some new concepts to compete with others; although they are facing a lot of heat because of them too.
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However, the Brackley-based team is confident in the W13 and their line-up: the seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton and the new George Russell, replacing Valtteri Bottas. Therefore, fans should look for the Silver Arrows in the pre-season testing and the upcoming Grand Prix at Bahrain.