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Fresh images of the Mercedes W13 revealed a new nose design ahead of the 2022 F1 French GP. While the complete scope of Mercedes' upgrade package will not be revealed until Friday, the reigning constructors' champions will be running with an all-new nose design.
Compared to the previous flatter version (as shown in the tweets), the new nose design appears more refined in its tapering as it appears to mesh perfectly with the rest of the nose structure.
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The premise behind the upgrade could be twofold. On one side, the upgrade could help in reducing drag, which has been an Achilles heel for the team, while on the other side, it could be the team's rather different approach to the driver cooling holes at the front tip. With very high temperatures expected over the weekend, this could be one of the more innovative solutions applied by the team.
The track's smooth and high-speed nature should perfectly suit Mercedes and the team will be hoping to put on a better showing as compared to the rest of the season.
On the back of three consecutive podiums, there are expectations of a bigger jump from the team. Team principal Toto Wolff is also hoping to achieve the same with the new set of upgrades. He said:
“We scored three podiums in the first seven races, and we have now achieved four in the last four. I’m pleased with the momentum we are building, and it reflects the mammoth effort of the team.”
“Our understanding of the W13 is growing with every lap and it’s encouraging to see that reflected in our development and results. While we were quicker in Austria, we still weren’t quick enough to challenge at the front. We need to keep chasing those final few tenths and bringing new developments to the cars, including this weekend in France.”
Mercedes is on a high with 4 podiums in 4 races
Mercedes has scored 4 podiums in the last four races and has enjoyed strong results recently. It all started with George Russell scoring a podium at Baku, followed by a hat-trick of podiums from Lewis Hamilton in Canada, Silverstone, and Austria.
While the team has put together a strong string of results, it is aware that there are still a few tenths that it is leaving on the table against Red Bull and Ferrari. At the 2022 F1 French GP, the team will be hoping to close down that gap and start challenging for wins.
