Mercedes has finally revealed its challenger for the upcoming season.
In typical Mercedes fashion, the team surprised its fans by unveiling the car on its social media handle just half an hour before the launch.
One has to say that it is beautiful livery. It is rather different from the car we saw last year though.
Mercedes had adopted an all-black livery last year, getting rid of the silver look. However, this colour scheme is back in effect this year.
We can see a shiny black gradient through the car’s nose to mid-section. The engine cover, meanwhile, shows shades of silver.
Introducing the W12 ?? Get your first look at our 2021 F1 car! #WeLivePerformance pic.twitter.com/RiZEBTyarb
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) March 2, 2021
While the car looks great, Mercedes is reportedly not as confident this year regarding its superiority with respect to the engine.
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Although Honda is soon going to quit the sport, it is believed to be helping Red Bull with a car that can truly be competitive this year.
The lack of technical changes ahead of this season has played well into the hands of Red Bull. The team has got more time to develop a more stable and consistent engine while Mercedes is largely expected to carry over most of its 2020 car into this season.
The signing of Sergio Perez is also an added boost to Red Bull, who finally have a competitive driver to partner Max Verstappen.
The Mexican believes he can push Mercedes this season.
“I think the goal is to win. There’s obviously a process to this. We have to get on top and hopefully the car is good enough for that, but we have to wait and see,” Perez said.
“Mercedes have had a good advantage over the team in the last few years, so hopefully this season we’re able to close the gap and give them a hard time.”
“However, we must also give their due to Mercedes. They are not easy to topple and surprise us each season by adding more dimensions to them. Furthermore, Red Bull haven’t been able to walk the talk these past few seasons.”