The month of March can mean very different things to those around the automotive space. For some, this represents basketball and the March madness, but motorsport fans see the start of a new Formula 1 season. As such, the Mercedes-AMG Formula 1 team has just launched its 2021 F1 racing car alongside of two road vehicles.
While most of you may be concerned about another season of Lewis Hamilton’s dominance, there is much more than meets the eye here. In the photo next to the W12 F1 car is the AMG Project One and the Mercedes-AMG GT 73e. You may know about the former, but the latter is still largely unknown.
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Under the hood there will likely be a hybrid assisted variant of the AMG 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8, which reportedly produces 805 horsepower (600 kilowatts) – the piston power combined with the hybrid system is supposed to propel the vehicle at 60 mph ( 97 km / h) in less than three seconds. To offer some perspective, this is a big step compared to the GT 63 S, which could only produce a meager 630 hp (470 kW).
By offering such a powerful package, the German automaker looked to the world of Formula 1 to transplant a slice of its motoring DNA into the road market. Interested readers will know that the relationship between the two programs has existed since 2012, but the pair is further strengthening their ties.
“Under our technology and PERFORMANCE seal, we are advancing our interpretation of a powerful and efficient hybrid technology for future road models,” said Philip Schiemer, Chairman of the Board of Mercedes-AMG GmbH.
We have seen countless examples of drip motor sports technology in the past, and this hybrid system is clearly no exception. It may not be as aggressive as the AMG Project One unit, but as the emission requirements become even more restricted, we bet that it is the energy aggregator of the future.