Mercedes presents car with which it will try to maintain hegemony in F1

Since F1 entered the era of hybrid engines in 2014, Mercedes has built an almost unshakable hegemony. There were seven drivers’ titles – six for Lewis Hamilton and one for Nico Rosberg -, in addition to eight for constructors, in a series that saw the team surpass a historic record for Ferrari, champion six times in a row between 1999 and 2004.

For the first time, however, this domain may have its days numbered. The German team presented this Friday (18) the W-13, a model conceived under the new F1 regulations, which foresee a series of changes in the cars, the most profound since the beginning of the golden phase of the team.

The main one is the return of the “ground effect”, responsible for accelerating the air that passes under the car so that there is more grip and speed. The chassis was significantly modified, such as the shape of the nose and rear wing, with designs designed to reduce turbulence between vehicles, in order to facilitate a closer approach between them on the tracks. The new 18-inch wheels are also eye-catching.

Before Mercedes, seven other teams presented their vehicles, including Red Bull, with the RB18 model, with which Max Verstappen will defend his title —Haas, Aston Martin, McLaren, Williams, Ferrari and Alpha Tauri are the teams that have already revealed their cars. Alpine and Alfa Romeo need to do the same.

The Dutchman’s team, however, chose not to reveal many details, in a presentation held in a dark setting, hiding important aspects of the car. The team’s boss, Christian Horner, admitted that the version “is a prototype, which should be very different from what will be taken to the track.”

The mystery makes sense in a sport in which sporting competition is enormously dependent on technological developments. Hence the fact that a transformation like the one foreseen in the regulations from this year puts in doubt the dominance of Mercedes.

“I would imagine, given that the cars will be so new and different, that one or two cars on the grid will end up being really bad and have a terribly painful year,” said the German team’s technical director James Alisson. “I imagine all of us, to some extent, let things slide because we just didn’t anticipate it,” he added.

According to James, the new rules book is twice as long as the previous version and there are a number of possibilities that teams can explore. “But, of course, there is also danger”, warns about the risk of a misinterpretation of the text leading a team to an error in the projection of the car.

The pros’ dose of caution makes sense in a sport that moves billions of dollars each season. But it is not to be expected that, even with the profound changes, a team the size of Mercedes will move to the middle of the grid. In addition to the recent history, the volume of investment in relation to rivals does not indicate this.

The Germans have invested heavily in recent years to stay at the top, leading F1 to create a spending cap precisely to narrow the gap between the ten teams on the grid. This year, the limit is U$ 142 million (R$ 734 million). In 2021, this amount was US$ 145 million (R$ 749 million).

For Toto Wolff, Mercedes boss, the imposition of the ceiling, in addition to the reduction in value, will bring a balance to F1. He believes that five or six teams will fight for victories. “There will no longer be a team walking a second ahead of the others.”

Since 2014, the team he commands has been much more than a second ahead of the competition. And the numbers show it. In the last eight years, the German team has won 111 of the 160 races it has contested, in addition to the drivers’ and constructors’ titles it has won.

In all, Mercedes has already won 124 victories throughout its history in the category, being the third that most times had a driver crossing the finish line in front, behind only Ferrari (238) and McLaren (183).

Even last season, in which Max Verstappen won the dispute with Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time champion’s team won the Constructors’ World Championship and only didn’t take the drivers’ championship again because of the decisive and controversial Abu Dhabi GP, in which the Briton ended up overtaken by the Dutchman on the final lap.

When announcing the new F1 regulations, the category informed that the changes were aimed at giving greater balance to the races. After a dispute as fierce as last year, this is what all fans expect, especially those of teams used to winning.