Mat Watson Checks Out the Mercedes-AMG F1 W13 E Performance, Finds a Few Surprises

Mat Watson of Carwow got the exclusive chance to review the new Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 car—the Mercedes-AMG F1 W13 E Performance.

Formula 1 announced a change of regulations for the 2022 year season. While the decision initially faced a backlash from several drivers, the sporting institution strongly expressed the reasons behind the overhaul.

The new racers now have 18-inch low-profile wheels instead of 13-inch ones. F1 also introduced a couple of aerodynamic changes to improve competition, including winglets on the wheels, a new rear wing, and underbody aero tunnels.

According to F1, the new changes will promote safety and increase competition in the sport.

Last week in Bahrain, Mercedes surprised its fans with a controversially new F1 car. It featured an ultra-slim side pod design structurally different from what they had displayed in Barcelona.

While the new design doesn’t flaunt any rules, it raised a few eyebrows and harsh comments from rivals, notably Red Bull’s Christian Horner. Others wondered how the team plans to cool the engine with the thinner structural modification.

Mercedes-AMG Petronas’ W13 car is notably thinner, and still over 5 meters long. It’s also about 43 kg heavier than the W12, at 795 kilograms. The annual budget has also dropped by $5 million, to $140 million.

The W13 still comes with the same turbo hybrid 1-6-liter engine mated to an 8-speed sequential single-clutch transmission making 1,000 HP. It can bolt from o to 62 mph in 2.5-seconds.

Pat Symonds, F1 chief technical officer, who also doubles up as the main architect of the 2022 new regulations, felt the changes made by Mercedes-AMG Petronas were novel and impressive.

While the thin structure compromises cooling, the W13 car uses heat exchangers borrowed from rocket technology to sufficiently cool the engine.