On the eve of the 2022 F1 Bahrain pre-season test, there are rumors that Mercedes will launch a completely different version of the W13 car, especially the extremely bold and extreme "side box design", and even some people say "no side box design", which also fills the expectations of the outside world for the new version of the W13 car.
With the official kick-off of pre-season testing in Bahrain, mercedes has finally unveiled the mystery of W13 racing. As previously rumored, the defending champion team did surprise us, with the side case of the W13 car almost missing (see picture below) and you might say, "Could it have been designed like this?" "Yes, the professionals in the paddock and the competitors reacted the same as you did.
It is reported that the W13 car with the "ultra-narrow side box design" has achieved good results in the simulation software, and the simulation data shows that its performance is better than the previous version tested in Barcelona pre-season. (We call the Barcelona version W13A and the Bahrain version W13B)
The W13B's ultra-narrow side box design reduces the car's drag, while also allowing more airflow to the rear area of the car, including the baseplate, beam wings, diffusers, thereby further increasing the downforce of the car. In order to meet the heat dissipation needs under the "extreme side box design", the W13B racing car has also increased the number of slots on the hood.
It is worth mentioning that the narrowing of the volume of the side box of the W13B racing car has changed its anti-collision structure into a separate transverse wing structure.
To avoid protests from competitors, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said the FIA oversees the design process of the W13B car and also obtains its CAD data, so everything is compliant.
So what we have to look forward to next is whether this W13B car can go up to 0.5 seconds faster per lap than other teams, as previously rumored? Let's wait and see!