Mercedes have unveiled the latest version of the car that will aim to propel them towards a seventh Constructors’ Championship on the bounce. The German outfit have dominated the sport since 2014 and their imperious hold over the Constructors’ crown and the Drivers’ Championship appears to be poised to continue in the 2020 season.
The team have claimed that the newest model of their Formula One vehicle is a marked improvement on their car from the last campaign. It’s a bold statement to make considering that Lewis Hamilton won the Drivers’ Championship by 87 points, and his nearest rival was his team-mates Valtteri Bottas. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was the nearest driver to challenge the two Mercedes men and even the Dutchman was 42 points off the pace of the Finn.
The early testing of the new W11 has produced excellent results, with Hamilton and Bottas both enjoying a stronger surge of speed than their rivals. As a result, Mercedes are backed in the F1 betting odds at 2/7 to win the Constructors’ Championship once again. Their consistency on the track has been a hallmark of their success.
For the second time in three years Hamilton completed every single race of the campaign. Bottas too had a fine completion record in 2019, retiring in only two of the contests. One of those was a self-inflicted error at the German Grand Prix when he crashed early in the race, while the other came in the Brazilian Grand Prix when his vehicle suffered a rare engine failure.
The durability of Mercedes’ cars have handed them and their drivers as huge advantage over the rest of the field. For Hamilton and Bottas, it has been case of being sensible behind the wheel to avoid crucial mistakes. Both men have been able to remain error-free for the majority of the last three seasons, resulting in comfortable victories to keep the German outfit at the summit.
Mercedes already unveiled a dual-axis steering system for the 2020 campaign. It caught the attention of the other teams and has been banned by the FIA for the 2021 season, but Hamilton and Bottas will still have use of it for the coming term. The system allows the drivers to change the toe angle of their wheel, which will especially on the tighter turns on the track.
The German outfit have also modified the front and rear suspension, bolstering the aerodynamics of the front of the vehicle and greater downforce from the back. They’ve also improved the power of their engine, further enhancing the speed. It’s a scary though for the teams in the sport that Mercedes are only going to get better with the improvements made to their vehicle.
Hamilton remains the leading driver in the sport and still has a lot to accomplish despite his advancing years. Bottas is a safe pair of hands alongside him, which will allow Mercedes to remain at the top of the Constructors’ Championship for another campaign at the least. It will take something special to disrupt their dominance in 2020.