F1: Mercedes-AMG Reveals 2018 W09 EQ Power+ Championship Successor

Reigning world champions, Mercedes-AMG Petronas have finally revealed their 2018 Formula 1 contender at the Silverstone circuit. The new F1 car has been named the Mercedes-AMG F1 W09 EQ Power+ and is an evolution of the 2017 W08 that won 12 races and 15 pole positions throughout the last season. While the W08 was dubbed as a diva by the team for its lack of predictability, the 2018 W09 has been described as a much-improved version and an evolution of the 2017 car.

Taking the driver's seat once against will be Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas for Mercedes-AMG, both of which had a go in the new car at Silverstone for the first time for filming days.

(Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton will be taking the driver's seat)

The 2018 Mercedes-AMG F1 W09 is said to be an evolution of the older car and has been refined to perform better than last year. Obvious changes include the addition of the Halo cockpit safety device and the omission of the shark fin cover and T-wing to meet the new regulations. The paint scheme on continues to remain silver and black with the new electric blue stripes, hinting towards the EQ electric brand under the Mercedes umbrella.

(Valtteri Bottas takes the W09 around Silverstone on the filming day)

Describing the new W09 after a run on the Silverstone circuit, Hamilton said, "This is better than last year's car in every aspect. It looks quite similar but inside, underneath the shell, and even the bodywork, it's all refined to perform even better than it did last year. "The engineers have done a phenomenal job - I'm really proud and grateful for all the hard work that's gone in. I'm fit and ready to take [the new car] where it needs to go."

(Mercedes says the power unit on the W09 is 40% more durable)

Apart from the chassis changes, Mercedes has also made major upgrades to their power unit in response to limit of just three engines and two ERC systems per driver through the championship. The new engine is said to be more durable with the life of the hardware increased by nearly 40 per cent, without losing performance. The team has also been working on offering the best chassis integration, transmission and aerodynamic surfaces.

While the filming days restrict the car to be driven up to 100 km in non-race spec tyres, Mercedes will have a proper outing with the W09 when pre-season testing gets underway in Barcelona, Spain, next week.