Mercedes’ new car for the 2022 F1 season passed all the relevant crash tests more than two weeks ago.
Reports emerged elsewhere last weekend claiming the reigning constructors champions were yet to complete the homologation process with their new car as it had failed a side-on impact test. However a spokesperson for the team confirmed on Monday the W13 had completed its homologation procedure on January 13th.The process involves a series of impact tests on multiple part of the car. These include the survival cell, roll structure, steering column, headrest and impact structures at the front, rear and sides.
F1 has introduced heavily revised technical regulations for the upcoming season. These include some alterations to the impact tests, which have been made more demanding. The minimum weight of the cars has increased to 795 kilograms partly in order to allow for stronger impact structures.
Mercedes is due to reveal its new car on February 18th.
Other teams have also been the focus of unverified speculation over their progress with their new cars for the upcoming season. Aston Martin’s chief communications officer Matt Bishop last week dismissed reports on social media claiming the team is behind with its AMR22, stating “it’ll be ready for the first test in Barcelona”.
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Witan (@witan)
31st January 2022, 12:58
There are lots of reports suggesting RedBull failed a safety test last week. Any confirmation?
Lancer033 (@lancer033)
31st January 2022, 14:42
Was there any truth to the stories about Honda deciding to stay with RB until 2025? saw 2 stories a couple days ago then nothing about it elsewhere since.
Yes
31st January 2022, 14:47
Don’t know but i believe they hired the outstanding head if F1 from honda
grat
31st January 2022, 15:34
I think, piecing bits and pieces together, that while Honda is leaving, they’re not taking a number of personnel with them, including Yamamoto, Honda’s chief F1 engineer.
Srdjan Mandic (@srga91)
31st January 2022, 20:04
@lancer033
Apparently Helmut Marko gave an interview to Austrian automotive magazine ‘Autorevue’, where he (supposedly) said that Honda is going to keep the full intellectual property of their PU and the engines will also be still manufactured by Honda in Japan completely on their own, without any kind of involvement from RB, until 2025.
This has been picked up by many newspapers in Austria and some others in the rest of Europe as well. But it all seems to be based on that single interview from ‘Autorevue’.
NewVerstappenFan (@jureo)
31st January 2022, 22:32
Excellent, and RBR will pay for them?
BasCB (@bascb)
1st February 2022, 13:20
I think there were some who reported that as news, but I am pretty sure we read about that being the case several months ago here. Maybe that was just making official what “everyone” already knew then.
Jere (@jerejj)
31st January 2022, 16:04
Good news on AM.
BasCB (@bascb)
1st February 2022, 13:21
Yes. Let us hope it will not be “complete” but actual up to spec too!
Srdjan Mandic (@srga91)
31st January 2022, 20:19
Well, usually I’d say where’s smoke, there’s fire, but it could be indeed all wrong and both, Mercedes and AM, have already passed the necessary crash tests.
They better be, because you don’t want to fail the crash tests this close to the start of pre-season testing. Though I have more faith in Mercedes than I have in AM. The team has done a very bad job last season and has lost an important member with Otmar Szafnauer. Maybe all that money from Lawrence Stroll has caused them to get a little lost, not knowing what to do with the bigger budget.
Let’s see what happens when the teams break cover in Barcelona in three weeks time.
petebaldwin (@)
1st February 2022, 9:23
AM’s main problem is they cant copy the 2021 Mercedes. They’ll struggle this year but providing Mercedes have designed a good car, AM will be fine next year.
Srdjan Mandic (@srga91)
1st February 2022, 15:10
@petebaldwin
I doubt AM will choose that path again. The cars should be a lot simpler now with the new aero- & chassis regulations and there is no need to copy the Mercedes again. Only if Mercedes were to build a car that’s a full second ahead of the whole field, it’s worth copying the entire car. I doubt that’s gonna be the case this or the following season.
AM also experienced the negative side of copying another car last season. If you don’t design the car yourself, you don’t know how to fix certain issues or why the car might react in a specific way under certain circumstances, because you don’t understand the car’s concept well enough.
dutchtreat (@dutchtreat)
1st February 2022, 15:57
Actually Red Bull and Mercedes tested their cars together to safe money. They had MV drive into LH so that MV ended up on top of LH. Neither driver or car was hurt, passed test. Mind you this was done with the 22 chassis.