Mercedes will reportedly need to make further changes to its cars for the 2022 F1 season after it appears to have failed the latest FIA crash tests, a claim the manufacturer denies. The procedure is mandatory for all teams and cars ahead of a new season to ensure driver safety should they be involved in a collision on track.
Mercedes bosses have been hard at work on their new W13 vehicle to adapt to major regulatory changes ahead of the new campaign which begins on March 20 in Bahrain.
With snippets of the new car already posted on social media, everything will be officially unveiled on February 18, just five days before pre-season testing begins in Barcelona.
But according to the Italian version of Motorsport.com, the Silver Arrows, constructors’ champions for the past eight seasons, failed last week’s crash test alongside the W13.
They weren’t the only ones, however, as the same website also reported that Red Bull also failed, failing at the front of the new RB18 and how Mercedes now have work to do ahead of the testing sessions in Spain.
JUST IN: Daniel Ricciardo drops F1 retirement notice as he opens up on McLaren plan
The development shouldn’t cause much inconvenience to Toto Wolff’s team, as the team had already developed a “plan B” option in case their original designs failed, with last week’s failure resulting in only a minor delay in their preparation.
However, Mercedes denies these claims, with a spokesman telling gpblog: “We completed the homologation a few weeks ago.”
Mercedes design chief James Allison recently sent a video message to fans in which he admitted: “It’s been incredibly difficult” to prepare for the overhaul of the rules and regulations.
“Very challenging and tedious to look at and figure out what is the best answer to these regulations and where to find the opportunity to get a car out on the track in a matter of weeks. That gives us the chance from now on, from the start to be competitive,” he said.
The build-up to the season so far has been dominated by uncertainty over the future of Lewis Hamilton, who has yet to confirm if he will continue in F1.
DO NOT MISS:
Christian Horner sends a tough message to F1 bosses as he grows impatient over a major decision
The F1 team makes a bold prediction on the impact of 2022 fuel on the championship title
Ferrari tipped to repeat the Mercedes trick for Charles Leclerc or Carlos Sainz as a replacement
