Mercedes W11 Formula 1 Racer Looks Great, Tops Day 1 Testing
As we prepare for the 2020 Formula 1 season to start, Mercedes has already shown high pace with their new W11 racecar.
While we wait for the season opening Formula 1 race in Australia, Mercedes have given us these W11 images to ogle over. As shown by F1i, Lewis Hamilton snagged the keys to his No. 44 and Valtteri Bottas hopped in his No. 77 Mercedes-AMG W11 race car for a little fun at Silverstone. With a base in England, Silverstone is essentially Mercedes-AMG’s home track.
However, pre-season testing has kicked off in Barcelona, and Mercedes, as expected by many, is topping the charts. Hamilton put on a clinic of speed by posting a best of 1:16.976. According to Formula 1, his time is the only one to break into the 16’s so far and bests teammate Bottas by 0.337 seconds.
Ferrari picked just one driver for day one, Charles LeClerc. His best time of 1:18.289 was a vast 1.313 seconds off pace from the Silver Arrows. Multi-time world champ Sebastian Vettel will set his times tomorrow. Although Ferrari’s time seems unusually slow, one never knows who is and isn’t sand-bagging. Several mid-pack and rest-of-field cars filled in that gap between Ferrari and Mercedes. The final day of testing will resume tomorrow, and we’ll be sure to tune in. Bear in mind, pre-season testing is not intended to be a showcase of speed, instead most teams use the time on track to test cooling systems, new aero, reliability and tire degradation.
As we had reported earlier, Mercedes-AMG F1 now has a Principal Partnership with INEOS. Their red livery is on the cowl scoop and wing end plates, contrasting with the teal from the primary sponsorship from Petronas. Mercedes stars are in a medium silver color and are plastered all over the back half of the car, breaking up the livery which fades from hyper silver to black.
Aside from some livery changes, things don’t appear to be that much different from last year’s car. Mercedes obviously had a solid platform last year. With no significant rule changes for the 2020 season, it looks like they weren’t going to attempt to re-invent the wheel. Of course, there’s always changes every race, and a mid-cycle re-fresh that could happen in the middle of the season.
Photos: F1i
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