New regulations are pending for 2022, so that Mercedes is in a transition year with the F1 W12 and its two drivers.
The past week has been filled with a number of announcements from different teams. But of course our main interest at MBWorld is the F1 W12 from AMG. Mercedes’ live reveal the car showed the usual suspects. Toto Wolff was his usual chipper self and happy with the car. Valtteri Bottas was looking forward to the competition this year. And Lewis Hamilton – now Sir Lewis Hamilton – was a bit reluctant.
When the car was finally revealed, Wolff appeared proud of his successes. “It’s exciting because we’re not going to see a lot of differences in spending between teams. And it will be exciting, we love the challenge, ”says Wolff. Of course, everyone in AMG’s position wants to continue their dominance, as they did under Hamilton.
When he spoke of Hamilton, he was asked why Mercedes had signed a one-year contract with the multi-champion. “I achieved everything I wanted to achieve” Hamilton written down. Bottas was just as modest. Regarding Hamilton’s success, Bottas says: “It motivates me. But I am also focused on myself. I think it’s important to prioritize what you do. ”
Mercedes didn’t reveal the full car either. At one point in the video, Mercedes AMG F1 was technical director James Allison enters to discuss the car. Allison mentions that the side skirts and the areas under the car’s tray are purposely ambiguous to provide a surprising element to teams on race day. “It’ll only buy us a few more weeks,” notes Allison. So you know that AMG is serious. You even see how the competition can take advantage of a reveal.
But this is a year when “we’ll see” will be a common saying. With all the new technical data for 2022, Mercedes has kept its options open for new drivers. The spending cap could mean Hamilton’s handsome paycheck could be affected. This could potentially lead him to a different team as a manufacturer like Mercedes may be more willing to put the money behind the car. We will see.