The Mercedes AMG F1 W04 looks way better than the W03, thanks in no small measure to the vanity panel on the nose that helps the F1 car lose the stepped nose that scarred cars on the grid in 2012. While some teams have retained the stepped nose this season citing lack of performance gains at the cost of added weight of the vanity panel, Mercedes says they have observed ‘a small gain during aerodynamic testing’.

With Haug being shown the door and Toto Wolff at the helm, fresh infusion of driving talent courtesy of Lewis Hamilton, debates on whether the Mercedes AMG Petronas team is stronger than last season are going to be one too many. Hamilton becomes the first British Works racing driver since Sir Stirling Moss in 1955. Mercedes’ decision to unveil the car at the test location – Jerez – meant the drivers would test the car the same day it was unveiled to the public. Nico Rosberg has already driven 100 kms in the forenoon shakedown session while Hamilton waits to test the latest Silver Arrow in the afternoon. Mercedes AMG has also pointed out that this four day test session at Jerez will see Nico behind the wheel on Tuesday & Thursday and Lewis on Wednesday & Friday.

Aerodynamic testing for the W04 began in early summer 2012 with Engineering Director Aldo Costa at the helm and under the coordination of Technical Director Bob Bell resulting in a new five element front wing and a second generation Coanda exhaust at the rear. While there have been rumours of a ultra compact gearbox being developed for the Mercedes AMG F1 W04, Mercedes hasn’t shed any light. There were also rumours of Mercedes adopting a pull rod suspension layout up front like Ferrari but it has now been confirmed that the Silver Arrow retains push rod suspension layout at front and pull rod suspension at the rear. As with other teams, the rear end has been slimmed down for aerodynamic benefits.

“2013 marks the start of a second era for our Silver Arrows works team,” said Team Principal Ross Brawn. “The restructuring we undertook at the team over the past 18 months are now growing in maturity and this is reflected in the F1 W04, which is a clear step forward in design and detail sophistication over its predecessor. Many thousands of hours of work have been invested by our technical teams in Brackley and Brixworth to ensure that the new car delivers a step change in performance compared to last season. We are also hugely proud to welcome Lewis to the team as a works Mercedes-Benz driver. With Lewis and Nico, we have what I believe to be the strongest driver line-up in Formula One and I know that a healthy level of competition between them both will help drive the team forward.”

Nico Rosberg said he was looking forward to working with Hamilton and push each other hard and make the team the best.

“I’ve been working really hard over the winter on my physical preparation, both in the mountains – climbing to over 2,000 metres with ski boots – and also in the Mediterranean, training on my bike, swimming and running. I fitted that around regular visits to see the guys at the factory in December and January and we have done some really good work, especially in the simulator. The car seems to be performing well in the virtual world but we have a very busy and intense programme ahead of us during testing to make sure we can deliver that performance on track. The atmosphere in the team is very positive and the people are highly motivated to succeed. And, of course, I have a new team-mate with Lewis. It’s his first time in the Silver Arrow and I look forward to working together and pushing each other hard, to make this the best team in Formula One.”

Lewis Hamilton is no stranger to Stuttgart, having made Mercedes’ acquaintance when he was thirteen. “It’s a very special day for me to officially present our Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrow to the world. There is no company with a longer history in Grand Prix racing than Mercedes-Benz and it is an honour for me to tread in the footsteps of legends like Juan Manuel Fangio, Sir Stirling Moss and Michael Schumacher. It’s the start of a new chapter for me, a new adventure, and when I walked through the doors in Brackley, I was so excited to get down to work. I’ve been at the factory for a few days now, getting to know the guys, meeting my mechanics and engineers, learning myself into the team and I have never seen a group of people that is hungrier for success than this one. They have been flat out this winter trying to pack more performance into the new car and I can’t wait to drive it and see where I can make a difference to help push the team forward with Nico. This is a new start for me with the team in Brackley but I have worked with Mercedes-Benz for a very long time now, and I learned one thing most of all: Mercedes-Benz doesn’t know how to lose. We are playing a long game here but I know we will have success together and I’m excited to be a big part of making it happen.”

Toto Wolff, the new Executive Director of MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS, concluded: “The first laps for a new car are always filled with emotion and today was no exception. It is even more meaningful when the car is a Silver Arrow: Mercedes-Benz has a long tradition of racing success and this is something we are proud to represent and determined to live up to. In the fortnight since I joined the team, I have been impressed by what I have found. The people are highly motivated, open-minded and determined to succeed. Our drivers are hungry for success, too, and it will certainly be fascinating this season to see how Nico and Lewis perform together. Ultimately, though, Formula One is very straightforward and the only thing that counts is lap time.”

Oh, not to prove ourselves adept at stating the obvious, but Hamilton and Rosberg arrived at the unveiling in two Mercedes SLS AMG Coupé Black Series. Best backdrop for an F1 car unveil this year, in our humble opinion.

As with most of the other teams on the grid this year, Red Bull Racing’s RB9 is an evolutionary car. With no big changes for the upcoming F1 season, there hasn’t been much scope for revolutionary design. Adrian Newey has said that significant changes are not the regulations but the new Pirelli tyres the teams tested in Brazil last November. Newey also said that it was very hot and on the green track, they couldn’t learn much.

Newey has also said that he is open to the idea of a passive DRS system as long as the system is reliable and is able to avoid being triggered when following another car. Passive DRS systems as employed by Lotus on their E21, are completely different from the double DRS or active DRS system (remember the F-Duct?) that we’ve seen on the Mercedes AMG Petronas cars last year. While the Mercedes setup was actively controlled by the driver when activating the rear wing DRS, Lotus’ system works on all straights and corners without driver intervention and is activated and deactivated based on the airspeed over the car.

Newey has pointed out that understanding the tyres was the key to the championship this year, just as it was last year. “We need to continue to understand the tyres,” he said. “Every time we thought we understood them last year, some fresh surprise would come in and we’d realise it wasn’t complete. And they’ve changed the tyre anyway this year. Past experience is that it’s only when we get out testing that we really find out about the tyres.”

The driver lineup remains unchanged for the team that will have to fight to defend its title win.

Red Bull Racing also has a cool video showing the work that goes on at the Red Bull Racing Team factory in Milton Keynes, England. A must watch for anybody who all stuff mechanical.

The Sauber F1 Team has seen a lot of changes since last year. Monisha Kaltenborn was named the new Team Principal by outgoing boss Peter Sauber who gifted a third of the team’s equity to Kaltenborn. Sergio Perez who shined in the Sauber C31 moved to McLaren in 2013 while Kamui Kobayashi has been replaced by youngster Esteban Gutiérrez. Sauber last year was a wild card in the equation that is Formula 1, delivering shockingly good performances every now and then.

The new drivers unveiled the Sauber C32 Ferrari, at the team’s base in Hinwil, Switzerland. The engine, gearbox and KERS system in the C32 are provided by Ferrari.

“We have had our eye on Nico Hülkenberg for some time and have been impressed by his performances. He is very quick, but, most importantly, he’s also very efficient. He understands how to pick up as many points as possible from a particular race situation.” said the team principal of their decision to have Nico in the team. “Esteban Gutiérrez is a driver we know very well as a result of a relationship with the team going back several years, and he has already had a number of opportunities to test with our car. Plus, he has always stayed in close contact with our engineers, which has allowed him to learn a lot about Formula One. I’m in no doubt he is now ready to take the final step and put his outstanding talent on display.” she added.

Esteban won the GP3 championship in 2010 and finished third last year in GP2. He was also the reserve and test driver for Sauber last year.

The Sauber C32 Ferrari has a slightly sloping nose and much slimmer sidepods. The arrangement of the radiators has changed radically from the 2012 C31 and this is what has led to slimmer rear, something that the engineering team has prioritized.

The rear suspension is again pull rod setup but the layout has been designed to better interact with the airflow around the rear of the car and also improve tyre management.

“We have set ourselves lofty goals with the Sauber C32-Ferrari, and I’m confident that we’ll be able to meet them. The C31 gave us a very good basis, to which we’ve made further improvements. Our aim is to line up for 2013 with a car that is competitive from the first race, but which also offers extensive potential for further development,” summed up Matt Morris, the Sauber F1 Team’s Chief Designer.

The F138, a name derived from the year 2013 as well as the number of cylinders in the engine that will be powering the 2013 F1 contender from Scuderia Ferrari, internally known as the 664, in a sort of homage to the last year of the V8 in Formula 1.

The 2013 car hasn’t deviated much from the 2012 car, with regulations for this year staying the same, but the focus has been reducing weight and increasing rigidity during development . Ferrari will continue to use the pull-rod layout of last year, which was speculated to be the reason for Ferrari’s lack lustre performance at the start of the season. The advantage that a pull rod setup provides as opposed to the conventional push rod setup seen on other F1 cars is a small aerodynamic gain and lower centre of gravity. The disadvantage is that parts of the chassis needs to be strengthened to accommodate the upper wishbone which will carry more load than in a push rod setup, adding weight and negating the lowered CoG advantage, and the second disadvantage is that it takes longer to tune the pull rod setup, something Ferrari might have to face again, with just three test sessions this season.

Ferrari has redesigned some of the bodywork elements to accommodate the new layout of the exhausts. The air intake above the cockpit and the sidepods have been redesigned.The DRS has been optimized as well. The KERS system retains its location at the bottom of the car towards the centre, and has been optimized by reducing size and weight.

The 2014 regulations require a single control unit and Ferrari will introduce this unit ahead of schedule for use in the 2013 F1 challenger the F138. The F138 has already been shipped to Jerez from Maranello where the first of the three testing sessions will begin.

Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo calls the F138 ‘The Hopeful’. A name he explains with three reasons. “Firstly, because of the obsessively detailed review of the past season, secondly, the major changes to the organisation and work methodology and thirdly, the concentration on just one wind tunnel, which will be important, especially throughout this season. Track testing is not available to us, something many would like to see reintroduced, so we have concentrated more on simulation tools. Bringing an experienced driver like De la Rosa to Maranello is part of this strategy and attention to detail” said Montezemolo.

Chassis

Carbon-fibre and honeycomb composite structure
Ferrari longitudinal gearbox
Limited-slip differential
Semiautomatic sequential electronically
Controlled gearbox – quick shift
Number of gears 7 +Reverse
Brembo ventilated carbon-fibre disc brakes
Independent suspension, pull-rod activated torsion springs front and rear
Weight with water, lubricant and driver 642 kg
OZ Wheels (front and rear) 13”

Engine

Type 056
Number of cylinders 8
Cylinder block in sand cast aluminium V 90°
Number of valves 32
Pneumatic distribution
Total displacement 2398 cm3
Piston bore 98 mm
Weight > 95 kg
Electronic injection and ignition
Fuel Shell V-Power
Lubricant Shell Helix Ultra

The Renault powered Lotus F1 Team E21 was unveiled to the world from the team’s base in Enstone, which was also livestreamed on YouTube. Lotus says with the mostly unchanged regulations since 2012, the team continues with the last year’s design ideas but will push last year’s concepts. The driver lineup remains unchanged at Lotus F1 Team, with Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean behind the wheel.

Kimi Räikkönen who provided some fantastic entertainment last year starts his eleventh Formula 1 season. Kimi is wary of shooting his mouth off and says he’ll reserve opinion on what’s possible and what isn’t until the tests at Melbourne are completed.

“Of course, I’ve not driven the E21 yet so it’s difficult to say what could or could not be possible for the year ahead. We know we had a good car last season, but everyone is working hard to make the best package. I will be working with the team to help get the car as strong as we can, then in Melbourne we’ll have our first taste of results. It’s a long season from there. 2012 was a good start; let’s see what we can do in 2013.” he stated.

Romain Grosjean, received confirmation that the he’d be with Lotus just as he was celebrating his ‘Champion of Champions’ title at the Race of Champions. “I can clearly say I want to score a lot of points for the team – everybody knows that – but I think it would be wrong for me to say I want to finish in a particular position in the championship. I really want to jump out of the car as many times as possible thinking that I did a good job. Knowing that everything I could do, I did, and feeling proud of my race or session. I hope to feel that way as many times as possible this year.” he said.

“I think it is fair to say that great things are possible from the team and the E21. The leap we made from 2011 to 2012 showed what we are capable of. Add to this the continuity and potential of our driver line-up and we have a very powerful cocktail for the season ahead. Our ambitious plan to turn ourselves into one of the top teams in Formula 1 is coming to fruition and now we need to harness this with strong and regular podium results.” said Eric Boullier, Team Principal.

“The E20 proved itself to be an effective racing car – particularly towards the end of last season – so there is an element of expectation from the E21 and plenty to build upon. We have continued with our design themes and tried to create a more efficient and faster racing car based on all the lessons we learnt last year. How successful we have been in this task will only be discovered when we take to the track at the winter tests and – more significantly – at Grands Prix.” said James Allison, Technical Director.

McLaren might have made a huge mistake not trying harder to keep Hamilton on the team, but they surely put on a stunning show unveiling their 2013 Formula 1 challenger, the MP4-28. It so happens that McLaren is also celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, that a parade of victorious McLarens was called for. The parade included the 1970’s M8D CanAm sportscar, Emerson Fittipaldi’s iconic 1974 M23, Ayrton Senna’s 1988 MP4/4, the 1995 Le Mans-winning F1 GTR, Mika Hakkinen’s MP4-13 car from 1998 and Lewis Hamilton’s 2008 MP4-23.

After the parade, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes’s drivers for 2013, Jenson Button in a prototype of the McLaren P1 and the 23 year old graduate of the Ferrari driving academy, Sergio “Checo” Perez in a McLaren MP4-12C Spider arrived to unveil the MP4-28 with Team Principal Martin Whitmarsh.

“For 2013, of course, we go racing to win. With Jenson and Checo, and this fantastic-looking new car, I believe we’re extremely well prepared for another competitive season. Jenson is driving better than ever – he’s the most experienced driver in Formula 1, but he makes every ounce of that experience count: he’s peerless in his ability to read a race and one of the very fastest drivers out there. He’s a consummate professional, too, and will revel in working hard to drive this team through the year.” said Martin Whitmarsh.

“Obviously, the biggest change for 2013 is my new team-mate, Checo. It’s always interesting and inspiring to begin working with a new face, and it already feels like a very positive working relationship” said Jenson Button on his new teammate. “This year’s car is the best we’ve ever made – I know the engineers have left absolutely no stone unturned in wringing every ounce of performance from every available area. I cannot wait to get behind the wheel and attempt to carry forward the incredible legacy that lives beneath the skin of every single man and woman who works at McLaren.” he added.

Button’s teammate Sergio has impressed Whitmarsh already. “Checo joins us after a sensational 2012 season and he’s immediately proved that he’s intelligent, modest, hard-working and, make no mistake; very, very quick. Of course, there’ll be a learning curve to overcome as he gets used to our organisation, particularly during the hustle and bustle of the early-season race weekends, but he understands that we are placing no pressure on him.” said Whitmarsh.

“This is an exciting time for the whole team. In our 50th anniversary season, I want Vodafone McLaren Mercedes to underline why we are the finest grand prix team in the world.” concluded the team principal for McLaren.