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) Geoff Willis (Technology Director) Paddy Lowe (Executive Technical Director)
Predecessor	Mercedes F1 W04
Successor	Mercedes F1 W06 Hybrid
Technical specifications[1][2][3]
Chassis	Moulded carbon fibre & Honeycomb composite structure
Suspension (front)	Carbon fibre wishbone and pushrod activated torsion springs & rockers
Suspension (rear)	Carbon fibre wishbone and pullrod activated torsion springs & rockers
Engine	Mercedes PU106A Hybrid Turbo V6 engine, limited to 15,000 RPM in a mid-mounted, rear-wheel drive layout
Electric motor	Motor Generator Unit–Kinetic and Motor Generator Unit–Heat
Transmission	Semi-automatic Sequential Gearbox Eight Speed Forward + One reverse
Battery	Mercedes litium-ion batteries solution
Power	750–850 horsepower (560–630 kW) @ 15,000 RPM
Weight	MWR: 691 kg (1,523.4 lb) (Incl. Driver)
Fuel	Petronas Primax
Lubricants	Petronas Syntium & Tutela
Brakes	Brembo Carbon brake discs, pads and calipers with rear brake-by-wire
Tyres	Pirelli P Zero (Dry/Slick) Pirelli Cinturato (Wet/Treaded) Advanti Racing Wheels: 13"
Competition history
Notable entrants	Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team
Notable drivers	6. Nico Rosberg[4] 44. Lewis Hamilton[5]
Debut	2014 Australian Grand Prix
Last event	2014 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Races Wins Podiums Poles F.Laps 19 16 31 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.^[6] 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.^[4][5] The F1 W05 was designed to use Mercedes' new 1.6-litre V6 turbocharged engine, the PU106A Hybrid.^[2] 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.^[7][8] The car was said to be so dominant because of an innovative design feature on the PU106A, the car's engine.^[2] 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.^[9] Lewis Hamilton described it as the best car he has ever driven.^[10]

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 sixteen wins (eleven for Hamilton and five for Rosberg), eighteen poles (seven for Hamilton and eleven for Rosberg), twelve fastest laps (seven for Hamilton and five for Rosberg), eleven front row lockouts and eleven 1–2 finishes in the 2014 season, producing statistically the second most-dominant car in Formula One history, only bettered by its successor, the Mercedes F1 W06 Hybrid.

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.^[11] 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 fatal 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 (the only time the team finished a race outside the points in the entire season), 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)

Year	Entrant	Engine	Tyres	Drivers	Grands Prix																			Points	WCC
					AUS	MAL	BHR	CHN	ESP	MON	CAN	AUT	GBR	GER	HUN	BEL	ITA	SIN	JPN	RUS	USA	BRA	ABU‡
2014	Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team	Mercedes PU106A Hybrid	P	Nico Rosberg	1	2	2	2	2	1	2	1	Ret	1	4	2	2	Ret	2	2	2	1	14	701	1st
				Lewis Hamilton	Ret	1	1	1	1	2	Ret	2	1	3	3	Ret	1	1	1	1	1	2	1

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

References

1. "F1 W05 Hybrid Technical ref". Mercedesamgf1.com. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
2. "Mercedes names 2014 F1 V6 Engine 'PU106A Hybrid'". This Is F1. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
3. "Advanti Racing supplying wheels to Mercedes F1". Advanti Racing. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
4. "Mercedes GP Petronas and Nico Rosberg agree to contract extension". Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team. 10 November 2011.
5. Cary, Tom (28 September 2012). "Lewis Hamilton to join Mercedes in $100m move from McLaren, signing a three-year deal". The Daily Telegraph (Telegraph Media Group). Retrieved 7 April 2013.
6. "Mercedes poised to roll out their new W05 on first day of 2014 testing at Jerez". SkySports F1. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
7. Weaver, Paul (30 March 2014). "Lewis Hamilton leads from the front to win his first Malaysian Grand Prix". The Guardian (Guardian Media Group). Retrieved 7 April 2014.
8. Benson, Andrew (6 April 2014). "Lewis Hamilton wins thrilling Bahrain GP after Rosberg battle". BBC Sport (BBC). Retrieved 7 April 2014.
9. Gill, Pete; Wise, Mike (6 April 2014). "How Mercedes' packaging of their turbo engine has given them the edge". Sky Sports (BSkyB). Retrieved 7 April 2014. Illustrated comparison
10. Benson, Andrew (30 March 2014). "Lewis Hamilton praises Mercedes after Malaysia GP win". BBC Sport (BBC). Retrieved 7 April 2014.
11. "Mercedes' dominant start is record-breaking".