Mercedes-AMG on Friday revealed its race car for the 2020 Formula One World Championship.
The car's full title is the Mercedes-AMG F1 W11 EQ Performance, and it's what reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton will use in his chase for a seventh F1 title. His teammate once again is Valtteri Bottas.
The rules haven't changed much from the last season since 2021 is due to see a major shakeup, so the W11 EQ Performance is more of an evolution of last year’s contender. Nevertheless, Mercedes has changed most of the over 10,000 parts in the car. The result is the automaker's fastest race car to date.
Mercedes-AMG F1 W11 EQ Performance 2020 Formula One race car
One of these new parts is the power unit. The automaker has looked to address the issues of overheating in previous seasons by adding larger radiators. The engineers have also focused on making the cooling more efficient by testing out higher operating temperatures for the engine.
The power unit is still a 1.6-liter turbocharged V-6 working with two motor-generators—one mounted on the driveline and the other integrated with the turbocharger. The engine is allowed to spin to a maximum 15,000 rpm while the two motor-generators can spin at up to 50,000 (driveline) and 125,000 rpm (turbocharger), respectively.
One other new element is the touch of red for the car's livery. This represents the sponsorship of British chemicals giant Ineos, the new principal partner of Mercedes' F1 team.
Red Bull Racing RB16 2020 Formula One race car
Mercedes' new F1 car made its debut at the Silverstone Circuit in the United Kingdom. The W11's next stop will be the pre-season testing at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain, which starts February 19. The first race will be the Australian Grand Prix on March 15.
There will be a record 22 rounds this year, including the new Vietnamese Grand Prix in April and the return of the Dutch Grand Prix in May, so teams will have their work cut out for them more than usual.
Other cars revealed for the new season include the Alfa Romeo C39, Ferrari SF1000, McLaren MCL35, and Red Bull Racing RB16.
