Mercedes Just Unveiled the F1 Car Everyone Wants to Beat

From Road & Track

The rollout of 2017 F1 cars continues today with the Mercedes-AMG W08 EQ Power+–the car that Red Bull, Ferrari, Williams, and everyone else wants to beat.

Thanks to significant rules changes, this year's cars are very different from the designs that helped Mercedes clinch the 2016 constructor's championship.

The W08 EQ Power+ only shares 17 percent of the components used on last year's championship-winning car have been carried over. The engine is still a turbocharged 1.6-liter V6 heavily revised for the upcoming season.

The biggest changes are with the bodywork. A lower, wider stance coupled with wider tires and all sorts of new aerodynamic devices have produced a car that could be up to 25 mph faster in corners than its predecessor Interestingly, Mercedes says this car's power unit is heavier than before, to compensate for additional loads from the higher-downforce aero kit.

Also worth noting is the "EQ" in this car's name. That's a reference to Mercedes' new electric and hybrid sub-brand by the same name.

After the shock departure of 2016 champion Nico Rosberg, Mercedes has brought Valtteri Bottas over from Williams to drive alongside Lewis Hamilton.

The W08 EQ Power+ makes its testing debut next week at Catalunya in Spain, and its first Grand Prix appearance March 26th in Australia.

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