The all-new F1 W08 EQ Power+ has been designed to maximise the performance opportunities offered by radically different aerodynamic regulations for the 2017 season, which will probably see the new cars become the quickest in the history of the sport, while leaving sufficient scope for an in-season development rate expected to be among the fastest ever in Formula One.
The W08 EQ Power+ is the fourth iteration of the turbo hybrid generation of F1 power units and has been conceived to withstand significantly increased physical loads and a more severe duty cycle under the new rules, while also maximising potential performance developments.
The premiere of the new F1 racecar also marks the global debut of a new technology label throughout the model range of Mercedes-AMG and Mercedes-Benz. From the forthcoming facelift of the S-Class, all future Mercedes-Benz plug-in hybrids will carry the designation “EQ Power”. And this new F1 racecar is the first vehicle to sport the “EQ Power+” designation, which will be used on all future Mercedes-AMG performance hybrids.
The new model designation has been translated graphically into the livery of the new W08, with an electric-blue visual representation of the airflow across the car running from the front wing to the trailing edge of the sidepods.
One of the most significant changes for the new season sees Valtteri Bottas become just the fourth Silver Arrows driver of the modern era in 2017. Next to him in the garage will be three-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton, who comes to the new season refreshed and reinvigorated.
Lewis Hamilton played with a speedboat off the coast of Monaco.
EQ is the dedicated electric-mobility brand of Mercedes-Benz.
