The Mercedes team, current monarch of Formula 1 presented this morning its W09, a much improved car with which they aspire to maintain their supremacy over the rest of the constructors. Hours before his closest rival during 2017, Ferrari showed the SF71H to the international press.
From Silverstone, England, driver Lewis Hamilton, stressed that his new car is better than its predecessor in all aspects. According to the current world champion, the Mercedes-AMG F1 W09 EQ Power + is an evolution of the car that won 12 races and took 15 poles in 2017, taking it to its fourth drivers' crown, while the "Silver Arrows" secured in simultaneous his fourth consecutive title of constructors
In addition to changes in the chassis, Mercedes has made significant improvements to its power unit, this in response to the reduction in the number of components that each of the drivers can use this season.
In the words of Andy Cowell, Managing Director of Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains:
"The biggest challenge we have is to raise our durability limit with the challenge of competing with only three engines and two ERS systems per driver during the year. 40% increase in the distance that the hardware needs.We focus on trying to increase the useful life of the hardware without losing performance".
For this season Mercedes will keep Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas in their lineup.
From Italy, the Ferrari team presented the SF71H, based on the fundamentals of the SF70H last year, although with several notable differences.
The most obvious visual change is the return to the traditional red color. Among other significant changes in the chassis, a longer distance between axles is appreciated, as well as an even more aggressive design, the aerodynamics and the cooling system have also been updated.
Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen will share the duties of driving this car that, like the Mercedes W09, will face each other next week during the pre-season tests to be held in Barcelona, Spain.