Mercedes To Launch W13, 2022 F1 Car On Feb 18

Mercedes has become the fourth team on the grid to announce when it is launching its 2022 car. The reigning eight times constructor's champions are again expected to be favourites even though there are many murmurs in the paddock that thanks to a combination of things - Ferrari could possibly have the fastest car at the start of the season. Interestingly, Mercedes will be launching the W13 one day after Ferrari launches its 2022 car, on February 18.

The full name of the car that Lewis Hamilton and George Russell will drive is Mercedes-AMG F1 W13 E Performance. One of the key differentiators of the car will be the fact that Mercedes could revert to its iconic silver livery instead of the black one the team adopted in light of the "black lives matter" movement. In December, Mercedes also became the first team to tease its car and now we have a date. 

Mercedes is said to have been developing the W13 for a while and it even sacrificed development for the W12 marginally for this car in-view of the new ground-effect aerodynamics, the new F1 budget cap, and the engine development freeze. Mercedes will have the least wind tunnel and CFD testing time as per the new rules by virtue of it being the constructor's champion. 

18/2/22. ????️ Meet the Mercedes-AMG F1 W13 E Performance ???? pic.twitter.com/uv6oCGmNHh

— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) January 18, 2022

The launch around the car is also shrouded by the possibility that 7-time world champion and statistically the most successful F1 driver of all time, Lewis Hamilton, may call it quits from the sport. Hamilton whose bid to win a record-breaking 8th world title was squashed in the final lap of the last race of the 2021 season after a last-minute safety car and some controversial calls by the FIA stewards handed a massive advantage to Max Verstappen who took due advantage and overtook the Briton. 

Since then, Mercedes launched an appeal which it took back but its CEO and team principal Toto Wolff indicated that Hamilton despite being contracted for two years, may not return to the sport. It has been reported that Mercedes brokered a deal with the FIA for the removal of FIA race director Michael Masi and more organisational changes. 

Lewis Hamilton Max Verstappen Abu Dhabi GP F1 2021

It is also reported Hamilton may only return after seeing what reforms the FIA is making under the new commission that it has established. For its part, the FIA will release some preliminary findings on February 3rd, two weeks before the unveiling of the car, but the full breadth of the report will be presented only by March 18 which would be in time for the season opener in Bahrain. 

So far, aside from Mercedes and Ferrari, only Aston Martin and McLaren have announced the date of unveiling their 2022 cars.