MERCEDES AMG W13 - POWERING INTO 2022 AND BEYOND

As dawn breaks on a brand-new era for Formula One, the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team today launched its challenger for the 2022 season - the Mercedes-AMG F1 W13 E Performance.

With the sport's most significant technical regulation change in a generation, the factories at Brackley and Brixworth have been bristling with activity to respond to the challenge and identify every possible opportunity to unlock performance.

After 18 months of hard work, the end result is the W13, a car which is 98% new and freshly designed from tip-to-toe with minimal carry-over from its predecessor.

At the wheel of the W13 will be the sport's most successful driver, seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton, partnered by fellow Briton and Mercedes Young Driver Programme graduate George Russell, making his debut for the Mercedes-AMG team in his fourth year in F1.

Lewis Hamilton enters the 2022 season with 103 wins, 103 pole positions and 182 podiums as he targets a record eighth World Drivers' Championship.

"I have never seen him more determined," said Toto Wolff. "Lewis is the best driver in the world, and he is joined by one of the brightest and most promising of their generation in George. I have no doubt that we can create an environment of partnership between the two, of productivity to develop this new car which will be essential, whilst maintaining a healthy competition that will motivate them and the wider team."

George Russell joined the Mercedes Young Driver Programme at the start of 2017, following an impressive record in the junior categories, becoming GP3 champion the same year. Over the winter, he has been a regular at the team's Brackley base, getting reacquainted with some familiar faces.

"George is just getting on with the job. I know he's had a good winter of training and we've seen him in the factory, working on the simulator and with his engineers. This team has always been his home and therefore the transition to driving for us has been very smooth," continued Toto.

The team benefits from a strong Reserve Driver line-up with reigning Formula E World Champion, Nyck De Vries, continuing to join his Mercedes-EQ Formula E teammate, Stoffel Vandoorne, on the team's support roster.

With George Russell graduating from the Mercedes junior programme to gain his opportunity as a Mercedes-AMG F1 driver, there is plenty of inspiration to be had for our seven junior programme drivers for 2022: Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Paul Aron, Yuanpu Cui, Luna Fluxa, Daniel Guinchard, Alex Powell and Frederik Vesti. Six of the seven were present at this morning's W13 launch and all have an exciting challenge ahead of them this season in various categories.