Mercedes F1 W05 Hybrid

Mercedes F1 W05 Hybrid

The F1 W05 Hybrid, driven by Lewis Hamilton, during the 2014 Singapore Grand Prix
Category	Formula One
Constructor	Mercedes
Designer(s)	Aldo Costa (Engineering Director)[1] Geoff Willis (Technology Director) Paddy Lowe (Exec. Technical Director)
Predecessor	Mercedes F1 W04
Successor	Mercedes F1 W06 Hybrid
Technical specifications[2]
Chassis	Moulded carbon fibre and honeycomb composite structure
Suspension (front)	Carbon fibre wishbone and pushrod activated torsion springs and rockers
Suspension (rear)	Carbon fibre wishbone and pullrod activated torsion springs and rockers
Engine	Mercedes PU106A Hybrid[3] 1.6 L (1,600 cc; 98 cu in) direct injection V6 engine (90°), limited to 15,000 RPM with turbocharger featuring a single-stage compressor in a mid-mounted, rear-wheel drive layout
Electric motor	Motor Generator Unit–Kinetic Recovering maximum 2MJ of energy per lap to crankshaft Max. power MGU–K can produce an additional 161 bhp (120 kW) for about thirty-three seconds per lap Motor Generator Unit–Heat MGU–H harvesting unlimited power & energy per lap to turbine
Transmission	Mercedes Semi-automatic Sequential Eight Speed Forward + One reverse unit with carbon fibre maincase
Weight	691 kg (1,523 lb)
Fuel	Petronas Primax
Lubricants	Petronas Syntium & Tutela
Tyres	Pirelli P Zero (dry), Cinturato (wet) Advanti Racing Wheels : 13" [4]
Competition history
Notable entrants	Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team
Notable drivers	6. Nico Rosberg[5] 44. Lewis Hamilton[6]
Debut	2014 Australian Grand Prix
Races Wins Poles F.Laps 19 16 18 12
Constructors' Championships	1 (2014)
Drivers' Championships	1 (Lewis Hamilton, 2014)

The Mercedes F1 W05 Hybrid, originally known as the Mercedes F1 W05, was a highly successful Formula One racing car designed by Mercedes to compete in the 2014 Formula One season.^[7] It was driven by 2008 and 2014 World Drivers' Champion Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, both of whom remained with the team for a second and fifth season, respectively.^[5][6] The F1 W05 was designed to use Mercedes' new 1.6-litre V6 turbocharged engine, the PU106A Hybrid.^[3] With 16 race victories in a single season and 11 1–2 finishes, the F1 W05 is one of the most dominant cars in the history of Formula One.

Competitiveness and performance

The car was an instant success, with Nico Rosberg winning the season-opening Australian Grand Prix by 27 seconds. Lewis Hamilton went on to win the Malaysian Grand Prix, Bahrain Grand Prix, Chinese Grand Prix and Spanish Grand Prix successively.^[8][9] The car was said to be so dominant because of an innovative design feature on the PU106A, the car's engine.^[3] Sky Sports F1 reported that the 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.^[10] Lewis Hamilton described it as the best car he has ever driven.^[11]

At the halfway point of the season, Mercedes had secured all but one win – in Canada, won by Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo – and one pole, when Williams driver Felipe Massa did so in Austria. This came after Hamilton won the British Grand Prix and Rosberg won the Monaco, Austrian and German Grands Prix. The team clinched the Constructors' Championship at the Russian Grand Prix, the 16th race of the season. The F1 W05 took 16 wins (11 for Hamilton and 5 for Rosberg), 18 poles (7 for Hamilton and 11 for Rosberg), 12 fastest laps (7 for Hamilton and 5 for Rosberg), 11 front row lockouts and 11 1–2 finishes in the 2014 season, producing statistically the most dominant car in Formula One history.

Season summary

The form the F1 W05 Hybrid enjoyed from the start of the season to the Chinese Grand Prix, was the most dominant performance in the first four races of the season in the history of the sport. The car qualified on pole for each race, led every racing lap, won every race, and set every fastest lap.^[12] At the fifth race of the season, the Spanish Grand Prix, the car led every lap with both Hamilton (from pole) and Rosberg leading for portions of the race, but Sebastian Vettel recorded the fastest lap. The car claimed every pole, led every lap, and won every race in the season up to the Monaco Grand Prix. The F1 W05 Hybrid's streak ended at the Canadian Grand Prix where Daniel Ricciardo beat Nico Rosberg to the win, after the car's motor generator unit for kinetic energy (MGU-K) failed. Felipe Massa ended the F1 W05 Hybrid's streak of pole positions during qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix, but Mercedes would regain their form, with a 1–2 result, despite concerns of brake issues and threat from the Williams duo of Massa and Valtteri Bottas.

The next race of the season was the British Grand Prix where the fight between Hamilton and Rosberg got closer. Rosberg's car failed to complete the race and Hamilton won in front of his home fans. The German Grand Prix had two different stories at Mercedes. The one saw Hamilton have a brake disc explode in qualifying and the other saw Rosberg win pole and the race. The last race before the summer break was the Hungarian Grand Prix. Hamilton entered the weekend hoping to win his third straight Hungarian Grand Prix. Again like Germany there were two extremely different stories. Hamilton again had an issue in qualifying, with a broken fuel line causing a fire, while Rosberg won pole again. The race was very chaotic, between the rain and safety cars, Hamilton found himself ahead of his teammate to take home third, which extended Mercedes' consecutive podium finishes streak to eleven races. Rosberg and Hamilton qualified first and second for the first time since Canada at the Belgian Grand Prix, but contact between the two, whilst battling for the lead on the second lap resulted in a puncture for Hamilton and a damaged front wing for Rosberg. Rosberg recovered to finish second but Hamilton had to retire late in the race.

Lewis Hamilton won in Japan, a race marked by torrential rain and the accident of Jules Bianchi

The two Mercedes again locked out the front row at Italian Grand Prix and Hamilton was on pole for the first time since Spain. The two controlled the race and came home first and second for the seventh time in the season. At the Singapore Grand Prix Hamilton and Rosberg locked out the front row for the seventh time in 2014. Rosberg's car developed an electrical fault and he therefore had to start from the pit lane. He retired after just 15 laps, when his car would not restart at his first pit stop; it was his second retirement of the season. Hamilton however dominated the race, taking fastest lap and leading all but two laps in the process, and won his seventh race of the season to take the drivers' championship lead for the first time since Spain, by a margin of three points heading to Suzuka. Mercedes took another 1–2 with Hamilton extending his championship lead to 10 points at the Japanese Grand Prix. Rosberg and Hamilton locked out the front row for the eighth time, with Rosberg taking his eighth pole. The race was wet throughout and Mercedes again dominated but Rosberg could not hold off Hamilton, who took his eighth win of the season, while Rosberg took his eighth second place and Mercedes' eighth 1–2 in the process. The power advantage of the car was shown when they opened up a 17-second lead over third place in just the first three racing laps.

At the Russian Grand Prix, Mercedes clinched their first Constructors' Championship after yet another 1–2 finish. They locked out the front row out for the fifth successive race and Hamilton won comfortably by 13 seconds from Rosberg, who after locking up at turn one on the first lap and pitting recovered and finished second, again proving the true pace of the Mercedes. At the United States Grand Prix, Mercedes locked the front row out for the sixth successive race – and tenth time in 2014 – with Rosberg taking his ninth pole of the season. The two again dominated the race taking the team's tenth 1–2 finish of the season. Hamilton, as had been the case in the previous races, stuck behind in the first half of the race, overtook Rosberg around the half way point and then controlled the race from there; he won his tenth race of the season, and his fifth in succession. At the Brazilian Grand Prix, Mercedes secured a seventh consecutive (and eleventh of 2014) front row lock out, with Rosberg finishing 41 seconds ahead of Felipe Massa in 3rd place. Rosberg and Hamilton finished 1–2 for a record 11th time, beating McLaren's 26-year-old record of 10. Rosberg won the race and cut the gap down to 17 points going into the season finale in Abu Dhabi. Mercedes locked out the front row once again, with Rosberg on pole again. In the race, Hamilton moved ahead of Rosberg at the start and controlled the race throughout, but Rosberg suffered an ERS failure midway through the race. Rosberg carried on but could only manage 14th position, while Hamilton won his 11th race of the season and with it the World Championship.

Complete Formula One results

(key) (results in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)

‡ — Teams and drivers scored double points at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

References

Mercedes-Benz in Formula One, Grand Prix racing and Sportscar racing   Mercedes GP/Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team (2010–present) Executive Directors Toto Wolff (Business) Paddy Lowe (Technical) Current personnel Aldo Costa Niki Lauda James Vowles Geoff Willis Former personnel Bob Bell Ross Brawn Jock Clear Nick Fry Norbert Haug 2015 Race drivers 6. Nico Rosberg 44. Lewis Hamilton 2015 Test and reserve drivers Pascal Wehrlein Anthony Davidson World Champions Lewis Hamilton Notable drivers   Michael Schumacher Drivers' titles 2014 Constructors' titles 2014 Formula One cars MGP W01 MGP W02 F1 W03 F1 W04 F1 W05 Hybrid F1 W06 Hybrid Engine division Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains   Daimler-Benz AG (1908-1914, 1934–1939, 1954–1955) Team personnel Alfred Neubauer Max Sailer Rudolf Uhlenhaut World Champions Juan Manuel Fangio European Champions Rudolf Caracciola Notable drivers   Louis Chiron   Luigi Fagioli   Hans Herrmann   Karl Kling   Hermann Lang   Christian Lautenschlager   Stirling Moss   Piero Taruffi   Richard Seaman   Manfred von Brauchitsch   Louis Wagner Drivers' titles 1954 1955 Formula One cars W196 Grand Prix cars GP W25 W125 W154 Voiturette cars W165   Endurance Sportscar racing (1925-1931, 1952-1955, 1990-1991, 1997-1999) Personnel Alfred Neubauer Max Sailer Rudolf Uhlenhaut Peter Sauber Norbert Haug Drivers Rudolf Caracciola Manfred von Brauchitsch Hans Stuck Karl Kling Herrmann Lang Juan Manuel Fangio Stirling Moss Hans Herrmann John Fitch Pierre Levegh Karl Wendlinger Michael Schumacher Jochen Mass Jean-Louis Schlesser Jonathan Palmer Mark Webber Christophe Bouchut Nick Heidfeld Peter Dumbreck Bernd Schneider Pedro Lamy Cars Monza SSK W194 300 SLR C9 (Sauber) C11 (Sauber) C291 (Sauber) C292 (Sauber) CLK-LM CLR   Mercedes as a Formula One engine manufacturer Drivers' titles 1954 1955 1998 1999 2008 2009 2014 Constructors' titles 1998 2009 2014