Mercedes-AMG One hypercar shown in new teaser video
More than two years after Mercedes-AMG’s One hypercar was revealed, the first footage of the car on track has been released – and shows Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton looking on from track-side. Although the mule is still under heavy camouflage, the film gives us our first proper look at the car in motion, both inside and out.
The new video doesn't reveal many details about the car, but it offers a tantalising look at some of the model's underlying componentry, and a few sound clips of the hypercar's F1-derived powertrain. This comes shortly after Aston Martin posted a similar video of its V12-powered Valkyrie, testing at the brand’s Silverstone facility.
As part of the drip-feed of information on the One, last year Mercedes-AMG released images of the car displaying its active aerodynamic functions, the most dramatic of which were the vents above the front wheels: four panels on each side of the car’s front clam hinge upwards to create what look like gills behind the headlights.
There’s some visible active aero at the back too, thanks to a two-piece wing. One element stretches across the entire width of the car’s rear, while the centre section – as wide as the car’s carbonfibre engine cover – is able to rise independently of the main wing. A large diffuser wraps around the entire rear of the car and up the sides to further aid downforce. The rest of the car’s rear remains largely open, to dissipate as much heat as possible.
Earlier shots showed the One testing at the Millbrook facility in Bedfordshire – not a surprising location as it’s not far from Mercedes-Petronas’s development HQ in Brackley or its high-performance powertrain facility in Brixworth. Both departments are used to working on Mercedes’ Formula 1 cars, and the One will use the same engine and hybrid system that was originally developed for the race car.
For the One, the drivetrain has been installed into a more conventional two-seater hypercar body. However, the design of the car has been heavily influenced by the powertrain’s requirement for vast volumes of air for cooling and combustion. The roof intake – which channels air straight to the engine – has been lifted from the F1 car, while further intakes found either side of the front apron also supply air to the high-tech power unit.
These details are just the tip of this technological iceberg, so keep reading to find out everything you need to know about the Mercedes-AMG One.
Drivetrain
What marks out the One from hypercars before it is the drivetrain. Be in no doubt that the ‘Formula 1 car for the road’ tagline isn’t just marketing guff. It’s a fact. One Mercedes has been keen to emphasise in the build-up to the car’s arrival.
Aft of the passenger cell you’ll find the EQ POWER+ powertrain that has propelled Mercedes to four consecutive constructors and drivers’ championships. Speaking about this application of the Formula 1 powertrain, Mercedes-AMG CEO, Tobias Moers said, ‘we are the first to make Formula 1 technology roadworthy.’
As you might expect, all-wheel drive plays a part, delivered and intelligently vectored by an electric motor in each front wheel. But let’s start with the game changer at the back. As with the current Mercedes F1 car, the rear wheels are driven by a turbocharged 1.6-litre petrol V6 with direct injection and, for the sake of longevity, an 11,000rpm red line - dialled down from the 13,500rpm Lewis has to play with but still vaguely nuts compared with anything even the driver of the most hyperactive hypercar is used to.
More than two years after Mercedes-AMG’s One hypercar was revealed, the first footage of the car on track has been released – and shows Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton looking on from track-side. Although the mule is still under heavy camouflage, the film gives us our first proper look at the car in motion, both inside and out.
The new video doesn't reveal many details about the car, but it offers a tantalising look at some of the model's underlying componentry, and a few sound clips of the hypercar's F1-derived powertrain. This comes shortly after Aston Martin posted a similar video of its V12-powered Valkyrie, testing at the brand’s Silverstone facility.
