When Chevrolet unveiled the 1995 Impala SS, it also released a printed ad with the slogan “Lord Vader, your car is ready.” Some of you may also remember it from the 1980s when the media used it to describe the Buick GNX. Well, it’s time for this slogan to make a comeback because Mercedes-AMG unveiled its 2023 Formula 1 car and it’s as black and evil-looking as Darth Vader himself.
Named W14, a natural follow-up to last-year W13 single-seater, Mercedes’ 2023 contender sees the German outfit return to the predominantly black livery it used in 2020 and 2021. But now it features only slight traces of silver and light blue highlights for one of the darkest liveries ever ran in the series.
However, the team’s return to an all-black livery is more than just a stand against racism and a commitment to diversity, as it was back in 2020. It is part of Mercedes-AMG’s effort to reduce overall weight. We’re probably looking at a minor improvement, but Mercedes says it’s just enough to prevent the car from being overweight, as it was in 2022.
And here’s a fun fact: the W14’s black livery also echoes the Sauber C12, the car with which Sauber F1 made its debut in 1993. What’s the link to Mercedes, you ask? Well, the C12 was powered by a 3.5-liter V10 engine built in collaboration with the German company.
New livery aside, the W14 is also supposed to be a notable improvement over the W13, which was plagued by porpoising issues throughout 2022. Not only did it cause bouncing (and even crashes) on certain tracks, but this issue also prevented drivers from being able to really push the car when needed.
Mercedes remained faithful to last year’s “zeropods” concept but also made significant changes to the gulley bodywork on the engine cover. The floor was also updated to improve aerodynamics and eliminate the chassis’ tendency to bounce. The latter should also fix some of the power unit’s reliability issues.
The W14 will be driven by Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, the same pair that manhandled the W13 throughout 2022. Russell joined AMG last year after spells at Force India and Williams, scoring his maiden win in Sao Paulo. Hamilton, on the other hand, embarks on his 17th season with the German outfit, looking for his eighth world championship and first triumph since 2020.
Having won the constructors’ championship in 2021, Mercedes-AMG struggled to remain competitive against Red Bull Racing and Ferrari in 2022. The Germans scored only one win and 13 podiums, ending the season in third place. Russell and Hamilton placed fourth and sixth in the drivers’ rankings.
The 2023 Formula One season will commence on March 5 in Bahrain and will conclude 23 races later on November 26, in Abu Dhabi.
Mercedes-AMG Unveils All-New W14 Formula 1 Car With Updated Zero Pod Design
18/02/2023
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Mercedes-Benz | Mercedes-AMG
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JerrycaM
Elusive shipwreck found in Lake Michigan over 100 years after sinking
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A “ghost ship” that sank in Lake Michigan nearly 140 years ago and eluded several search efforts over the past five decades has been found, according to researchers with the Wisconsin Underwater Archeology Association.
The wooden schooner got caught in a storm in the dead of night and went down in September 1886. In the weeks after, a lighthouse keeper reported the ship’s masts breaking the lake surface, and fishermen caught pieces of the vessel in their nets. Still, wreck hunters were unable to track down the ship’s location — until now.
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Earlier this year, a team of researchers with the Wisconsin Underwater Archeology Association and Wisconsin Historical Society located the shipwreck off the coastal town of Baileys Harbor, Wisconsin, the association announced on Sunday.
Named the F.J. King, the ship had become a legend within the Wisconsin wreck hunter community for its elusive nature, said maritime historian Brendon Baillod, principal investigator and project lead of the discovery.
“We really wanted to solve this mystery, and we didn’t expect to,” Baillod told CNN. “(The ship) seemed to have just vanished into thin air. … I actually couldn’t believe we found it.”
The wreck is just one of many that have been found in the Great Lakes in recent years, and there are still hundreds left to be recovered in Lake Michigan alone, according to Baillod.
The ‘ghost ship’
Built in 1867, the F.J. King plied the waters of the Great Lakes for the purpose of trans-lake commerce. The ship transported grains during a time when Wisconsin served as the breadbasket of the United States. The 144-foot-long (44-meter) vessel also carried cargo including iron ore, lumber and more.
The ship had a lucrative 19-year career until that September night when a gale-force wind caused its seams to break apart, according to the announcement. The captain, William Griffin, ordered the crew to evacuate on the ship’s yawl boat, from where they watched the F.J. King sink, bow first.