Mercedes AMG Petronas unveiled the new F1 W05 ahead of its first pre-season test in Jerez, Spain, giving the media and other Formula One teams a look at the turbocharged racer. That look didn't last long, though, as Lewis Hamilton promptly stuffed the shiny new racer into a wall earlier this morning.
Unlike some of its competitors, the W05 retains a semi-normal looking nose. Challengers from McLaren and Lotus have both revealed dramatic departures for the designs of the nose and front wing. In terms of pure aesthetics, this makes the Mercedes arguably one of the better looking cars on the grid. "The new car is an elegant but aggressive design and, as is often the way, its beauty is much more than skin deep; the internal engineering of the car is extremely innovative and intelligent," said Technical Executive Director Paddy Lowe.
Like the rest of the 2014 field, Mercedes' challenger uses a turbocharged, 1.6-liter V6 as part of a hybrid powertrain. "The 2014 regulations are a game changer for Formula One. In the V8 era, the power potential of the normally aspirated engine was controlled by the flow of air into the engine – and therefore engine capacity and rpm," said Andy Cowell, managing director of Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains. "The fundamental question is now: how can we best convert 100 kilograms of fuel energy into useful mechanical energy? This challenge has pushed us to develop cutting-edge new technologies, both within the Internal Combustion Engine itself and in the ERS (Energy Recovery System) Hybrid system, with the valuable support of our Research and Development colleagues in Stuttgart. These will enable us to develop over 30 percent more power per unit of fuel than we did with the V8 engine."
Now, as for Lewis' shunt this morning, it wasn't any fault of his own - the BBC reports that eye witnesses saw the front wing of Hamilton's car fail and separate from the car. You can see a video of the crash below. He walked away, while the car suffered right front wheel and suspension damage. Hamilton, for his part, was rather positive. "It's unfortunate to end the day early when everyone has worked so hard," the former world champion said. "The car feels quite good, especially considering it's so early in our program. Overall it's been a positive day."
Finally, the big question on people's minds for the 2014 season has revolved around how the turbocharged V6 engines would sound. We've heard simulations, but it wasn't until now that we've actually heard the engine on track. Chris Harris, of Drive fame, was at the Jerez test and captured the W05 in a short flyby video.
Scroll down and take a listen to the video, and then let us know in Comments what you think of the car, the sound and if wrecking a new racer on its first outing is a good or bad omen.
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