Mercedes’ New F1 Inspired Hypercar

Mercedes+New+F1+Inspired+Hypercar

Dylan Cambian, Staff Writer

F1 is the ultimate form of motorsport. Teams spend millions and millions of dollars on the technology that can give them the competitive edge that it takes to win. So what if a brand tried to apply that to a road legal car. The answer? The Mercedes AMG One.

This road legal race car boasts 1,063 horsepower coming from a 1.6 liter hybrid and turbocharged V6 engine ripped from the team’s W06 Formula 1 car. This, along with four electric motors, (one for each wheel), help produce the AMG One’s 0-60 mph time of 2.8 seconds and a 0-124 mph of just under 6 seconds. It can also hold its own in top speed with a maximum speed of 217 mph.

Although the Mercedes AMG One has true speed, its inspiration isn’t all about straight line speed and power. Formula One cars are able to take corners at incredible speeds without losing grip and part of the reason they are able to do that is because of aerodynamics. Mercedes obviously took consideration to this and used some F1 technology to achieve the cornering capabilities they envisioned.

Active aero is a recent aerodynamic advantage that sports car brands use to optimize airflow around the car to create downforce for corners or decrease it for top speed. Drag Reduction System or DRS, is a driver controlled device used to assist in overtaking or catching the driver in F1 and an example of an active aerodynamic device. How it works is that the rear spoiler or wing of the car is split into two different panels. When not in the DRS sections of the track, (usually the long straights), the two panels are closed together to create rear downforce so the car is pressed to the ground for better cornering. When the driver is within a second of the car in front and in the DRS zone, only then are they allowed to activate it. The lower panel of the wing folds down to increase airflow and reduce drag and downforce to achieve a higher top speed.

The AMG One includes this feature along with active louvers on the front fenders. There are different driving modes for the AMG One; highway mode allows you to cruise on public roads without the rear wing and front louvers up; Sport + is the absolute track-focused version of the car with all the active aero, lowered suspension, and full power.

Now I know what you are thinking. Where is the proof? Yes, Mercedes created a road car with an F1 engine, DRS function, and steering wheel, but does it perform how it is told? Well in order to showcase its true potential, Mercedes took the AMG one to the Nurburgring track in Germany. The Nordschleife route is 12.94 miles long and is regarded as one of the hardest tracks in the world. The previous production car record was set by the Porsche GT2 RS with 6 minutes and 43 seconds. The AMG One beat that by an incredibly impressive 8 seconds with a time of 6 minutes and 35 seconds. It is truly a road legal F1 car like Mercedes hoped it would be. Want one? Well one Mercedes AMG One costs about 2.7 million dollars….. and all have already been sold.