'Mercedes takes big step with engine, makes concessions on chassis design'
Rumors
- GPblog.com
Earlier this week the Italian branch of Motorsport.com reported that Mercedes will be at the front in 2022 with a completely new turbo, the AS-Web Sunday is coming up with similar report. This will not only further boost reliability, but also provide extra horsepower for Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.
Two problems addressed
When designing the power unit, Mercedes defined two problems: reliability was insufficient and the competition had caught up with the engine from Brackley in terms of power. The German formation seems to have found solutions to this, although concessions had to be made for the W13 design.
Last year Valtteri Bottas and Hamilton had to have their internal combustion engine changed several times. It seemed that the ICE sometimes lasted only two to three races and that is what Mercedes want to avoid at all times in 2022. For that reason, the ICE has been taken in hand quite a bit in recent months. The main focus has been on the turbochargers, according to the Japanese website.
Engine power over aerodynamics
Mercedes has increased the size of its engine block and has reportedly compromised on aerodynamics with the W13's chassis. However, the reigning World Champion has come to the conclusion that, in addition to more reliability, the new engine also produces so much more horsepower that it is justified to make some sacrifices aerodynamically.
In recent years, Mercedes has invariably had problems with circuits located at high altitude. Due to the thin air, a lot is asked of the turbo and they couldn't do that. The result was that they did not drive at maximum power on circuits like Mexico and to a lesser extent Interlagos. With the larger turbocharger this should now be a thing of the past.