When Mercedes launched its 2021 Formula 1 challenger in late February, it remained coy on some of the car’s details, disguising certain elements including the floor. However, following the completion of F1’s single pre-season test in Bahrain, the team has released its now traditional walkaround video of the car with technical director James Allison.
Mercedes had a relatively troublesome pre-season test, not least thanks to a transmission issue on the first day, which severely affected its running. The car also experienced some stability issues in cornering, which the team admitted it had yet to get to the bottom of. Notably, Mercedes has not yet revealed where it spent its two development tokens for this year, with Allison ruling out areas such as the transmission (which would have required two tokens to update). However, in the video, he confirms that the new engine (which must be homologated for the entire season) does feature a revised plenum design and produces significantly more power than its predecessor.
