Dominator - Mercedes F1 W05 Hybrid
F1 W05 Hybrid was the name of the Mercedes’ winning car in the 2014 Formula 1 season, purposely built for the new regulations, attempting to exceed the results of the W04 car. The new machine was launched at a time when the company celebrated 120 years of motorsports, and the 80th anniversary of the ‘Silver arrows’.
New car for new rules
New rules in the competition were written to encourage and not to restrict the new technology and Mercedes did a great job which was confirmed at the end of the perfect season in which Formula 1 World Championship Drivers’ and Constructors’ titles were won. Statistically, Mercedes F1 W05 Hybrid is one of the most dominant cars in Formula 1 history with 16 race victories in one season, but its successor W06 went further in 2015.
Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg driving Mercedes F1 W05
Separated by just 45 km, the groups at Brackley (home to the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula 1 Team) and Brixworth (headquarters of Mercedes High-Performance Powertrains) have worked on the Mercedes F1 W05 Hybrid project. The result has been a fully integrated approach of maximizing not just some technical characteristics, but the lap time of an overall technical package.
Innovative design
The car was really dominant because of an innovative design feature on the PU106A Hybrid Power Unit, 1.6 liter V6 turbocharged engine. Compressor and turbo were packaged at opposite ends of the internal combustion engine, which gave them the edge in packaging, aerodynamic efficiency, and battery usage.
Mercedes F1 W05 Hybrid
Chassis of the Mercedes F1 W05 Hybrid is a molded carbon fiber and honeycomb composite structure. Safety structure of cockpit survival cell incorporating impact resistant construction and penetration panels, front impact structure, prescribed side impact structures, integrated rear impact structure with front and rear roll structures.
A lot of carbon-fibre was used for Mercedes F1 W05 Hybrid
Suspensions are carbon-fibre wishbones with activated torsion springs while the transmission is a Mercedes semi-automatic eight-speed forward plus one reverse unit with carbon-fibre main case sequential, electronically controlled gearbox and hydraulic activation for power shift and clutch operation, while the electronics of the F1 W05 Hybrid is FIA standard ECU and FIA homologated electronic and electrical system.
Lewis Hamilton in championship winning Mercedes F1 W05 Hybrid
Hamilton: The best car ever
In 2014, Mercedes F1 W05 Hybrid won 16 out of 19 races. Hamilton scored 11, while Rosberg had 5 wins on his account. At the same time, this car scored a total of 31 podiums, 18 pole positions, and 12 fastest laps, which is amazing.
After winning the 2014 F1 championship title Lewis Hamilton described W05 Hybrid as the best car he has ever driven in his career and after his words, there’s nothing to be said.
