Michael Satterfield
The development of the Mercedes-AMG Project ONE show car, presented at IAA 2017, had been intensively worked on behind closed doors for several months. In a highly complex, digital development process (“Project ONE Virtual Engineering”), the transnational project team worked towards its common goal: putting Formula 1 hybrid technology on the road.
Hundreds of testing hours have already been spent to master the immense challenge of making the high-performance drive unit ready for series production: the whole powertrain including all hybrid components underwent the toughest race track tests on the high-performance dyno tests of HPP’s engine specialists in Brixworth.
The successful completion of the dyno tests was followed by the installation of the highly complex powertrain into the first prototypes, which since then have been driving around unnoticed on a secret test ground in England. But it turns out to be more difficult to keep this testing confidential: the camouflaged prototypes of the Mercedes-AMG hypercar are still being driven on closed-off test grounds and racetracks. However, because of their characteristic F1 sound, they are hard to keep from the public.
