Mercedes-AMG F1

Valtteri Bottas of Finland and Mercedes GP, Mercedes GP Executive Director Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP pose for a photo with the Mercedes W09 during the launch of the Mercedes Formula One team's 2018 car, the W09.

Mercedes-AMG F1

With only a month to go until the first race of the 2018 FIA Formula One season, Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport took the wraps off the all new Mercedes-AMG F1 W09 EQ Power+. Team partners, guests and a few of us media joined the team for the reveal show at Silverstone, while F1 fans around the world took part in the action and watched the unveiling of the new F1 live online. The main reveal show paid tribute to Mercedes’ long motorsport history, featuring emotional footage of some of the team’s most painful defeats and most thrilling victories.

Ready To Race

As the most advanced machine ever conceived by Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport, the 2018 car aims to write its own chapter in that long racing heritage while at the same time pushing the technological boundaries of motorsport. The F1 W09 EQ Power+ is improved in every area over its predecessor and will become the fastest Mercedes Formula One car in history. Christened Mercedes-AMG F1 W09 EQ Power+, the new car proudly carries the “EQ Power+” designation which was launched to the world on last year’s car. As part of the naming strategy of Mercedes-AMG, “EQ Power+” stands for the brand’s future performance hybrid models. The Formula One team is proud to have led the way that was followed by the Mercedes-AMG Project ONE show car revealed in Frankfurt last year. The EQ Power+ designation places the F1 car and its state-of-the-art hybrid power unit at the forefront of the future Mercedes-AMG line-up, showcasing how F1 technology is accelerating the future of motor racing and automotive technology in general. “It is always a very exciting time because what has been designed is coming together and coming alive,” said Toto Wolff, Team Principal & CEO of Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport, describing the atmosphere in the team prior to launch day. “It’s never going completely seamlessly or smoothly when you’re trying to push the boundaries. We’ve had a good winter, I would say, no real drama. But it was a lot of hard work for everyone in the team.”

The new Formula One season holds a busy schedule for the teams. 21 races make it the joint longest season in F1 history. The calendar sees two addition compared to last year, the German GP at Hockenheim and the French GP at Paul Ricard. One event that always was very special to everyone at Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport has been dropped from the calendar for the new season the Malaysian Grand Prix. “I’m going to miss Malaysia,” said Toto. “It’s the home of our title partner Petronas and it’s sad that we won’t be going to Sepang this year. For the new races that will return to the calendar, I’m happy that we will go back to Germany. It’s just a two-hour drive from Stuttgart, so it’s a home race for Mercedes and we hope that many of our Daimler friends can join us at the race. And regarding Paul Ricard – there’s obviously worse places to be than in the South of France in the summer!” But the team is especially excited to go back to Hockenheim. The track is not far away from the Mercedes-Benz headquarters in Stuttgart and the Mercedes-AMG base of operations in Affalterbach. In other words: Together with Silverstone, the team is looking at two home Grands Prix this year wins this season. Mercedes-AMG F1.