Mercedes W04 to be shown for first time today
2013 F1 season
Mercedes will give the first view of their new F1 car on their website later today.
In a novel step, the speed of the launch will be determined by how often people post the hashtag #F1W04Reveal on Twitter.
According to the team: “Each Tweet will trigger the opening of a garage door on our website, behind which is hiding the new F1 W04. And the faster you retweet it, the faster the car will be revealed.”
The event will begin on Mercedes website from 4pm UK time.
The formal launch of the car will take place at Jerez on Monday.
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Image © Mercedes/Hoch Zwei
TommyB (@tommyb89) said on 2nd February 2013, 12:27
The site is crashing just from the announcement so good luck getting on it for the launch.
Still an absolutely brilliant and novel idea, Kudos Mercedes.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine) said on 2nd February 2013, 16:37
@tommyb89 The site has been down for over half an hour since the car was supposed to be revealed. Oh dear…
JimmyTheIllustratedBlindSolidSilverBeachStackapopolis III said on 2nd February 2013, 17:01
Looks like the mercedes server got merced…. init bruv.
BasCB (@bascb) said on 2nd February 2013, 18:23
Maybe no one sent tweets, so it did not even start the process of opening anything? thought not, another team underestimating online interest then.
ivz (@ivz) said on 2nd February 2013, 22:46
Have the tweets stopped? Is that it? Big of a joke.
AMG F1 said on 3rd February 2013, 10:43
Here you go guys:
http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/1042/stageu.jpg
Enjoy the new W04!
MaroonJack (@maroonjack) said on 3rd February 2013, 11:28
Here’s a better one, I think:
http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/9367/f1w04.png
David BR2 said on 3rd February 2013, 13:55
So instead of high quality videos and photos, the Mercedes brainwave for launching their new car has ended up with people circulating what looks like a photocopy done sometime in the 1970s? Great marketing job.
DaveD (@daved) said on 4th February 2013, 3:58
And now the “Mercedes SuperDome” has an issue with the lights going out during the game. Not a very good weekend for the Mercedes brand. This whole launch was a good idea to generate interest, but the execution is horrible.
I am trying to be supportive and like Mercedes but they are making it hard. Just show us the bloody car already!
Ean (@ean) said on 4th February 2013, 8:34
THEY JUST MADE FOOLS OF A FEW PEOPLE TWITTERING FOR NOTHING
sozavele (@formula-1) said on 2nd February 2013, 12:27
What an interesting idea!
Kany (@kani) said on 2nd February 2013, 12:27
Brilliance at it’s best!!
I hope they are just as brilliant in their design of the car!!
Good luck Lew and Nik!
JamieFranklinF1 (@jamiefranklinf1) said on 2nd February 2013, 12:28
Haha, great idea! Definitely a very good way to create more interest and publicity for the team.
I wonder if it was Hamilton’s idea…
robfff said on 2nd February 2013, 12:34
Wishful thinking! Hamilton is not known for his good ideas ;)
Kany (@kani) said on 2nd February 2013, 12:37
Not known for his good ideas doesn’t mean he can’t come up with one, does it, mate?
Tqm said on 3rd February 2013, 6:06
He is not that intelligent. A miracle would be that mercedes comes up with the fastest car but don’t don’t get your hope too high regarding hamilton’s intelligence. That’s never going to happen.
sid90 (@sid90) said on 3rd February 2013, 11:31
Can you phrase what you said in proper English, I can’t understand what you’ve said.
Guccio (@concalvez00) said on 2nd February 2013, 13:38
Based upon what ?
Max Jacobson (@vettel1) said on 2nd February 2013, 13:09
I agree, that’s a brilliant idea! Does this mean to say then that technically speaking Mercedes are unveiling their car today?
JP (@jonathanproc) said on 2nd February 2013, 13:12
I believe so, but I’m only expecting a single picture that will hide anything interesting and worth looking at.
Jake (@jleigh) said on 2nd February 2013, 13:15
I agree. It’s probably just front on view of it in the garage. We’ll only really get an idea of the livery and the front profile I suspect. We should be able to see wether or not they’ve gone for the modesty panel though.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine) said on 2nd February 2013, 13:18
Depends how much of it they show us!
Baron (@baron) said on 2nd February 2013, 23:11
Well, as at 2310 the garage door is only half open. Seems a bit of a damp squib?
Max Jacobson (@vettel1) said on 2nd February 2013, 13:44
Good points @jonathanproc, @jleigh & @keithcollantine! I wouldn’t imagine Mercedes would want to lose publicity at the official unveil by showing the car prematurely! Perhaps they’ll show us a tyre if we’re really lucky…
Bullfrog (@bullfrog) said on 2nd February 2013, 13:26
Maybe they’ll show us some telemetry as well, and drawings for the next upgrades, if enough people get involved…
dan (@f190) said on 2nd February 2013, 13:49
I’m quite sure it wasn’t Hamiltons idea. That said hes well known for his twit-ter history :p
Pete (@repete86) said on 2nd February 2013, 15:13
They’re just trying to release it before Hamilton tweets a picture of it.
Mallesh Magdum (@malleshmagdum) said on 2nd February 2013, 20:49
@repete86 ROFL
MaroonJack (@maroonjack) said on 2nd February 2013, 21:03
Maybe that would be better. Right now it’s like watching grass grow.
Pete (@repete86) said on 2nd February 2013, 21:57
Yeah, for real. The website’s back up, but it’s nothing but a blurry wallpaper featuring the top of Schumi’s head.
JP (@jonathanproc) said on 2nd February 2013, 13:22
“The event will begin on Mercedes website from 4pm UK time.”
So, the earliest we can possibly see the car is 4pm. Does anybody know what time is the benchmark that will slowly be cut down? In other words when’s the latest we’ll see the car?
Nickpkr21 said on 2nd February 2013, 16:43
Jerez tuesday
Hatebreeder (@hatebreeder) said on 2nd February 2013, 13:35
isnt twitter hacked? will be a facepalm moment if the garage door never comes up! :P
dan (@f190) said on 2nd February 2013, 13:46
Fantastic idea ! I really cant wait to see it, but think it will go wrong some how. Maybe it needs so many tweets that the door doesnt open before the real reveal day ? Eitherway its nice to see a team getting the fans involved and a really smart idea.
Lin1876 (@lin1876) said on 2nd February 2013, 13:46
Great idea, novel and it gets the fans involved.
Excuse me, I just need to go and spam Twitter…
William Brierty said on 2nd February 2013, 13:56
Check out Hamilton’s 2013 helmet design!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dion (@infinitygc) said on 2nd February 2013, 15:13
That helmet is really, how should I say it, Felipe Massa.
William Brierty said on 2nd February 2013, 15:25
How can a helmet be slow and inconsistent?
Dion (@infinitygc) said on 2nd February 2013, 15:32
Hahah, no, what I meant is that it really reminded me of Massa’s helmet! But that was pretty funny!
Highstoned (@highstoned) said on 2nd February 2013, 16:06
nice 1 :)
MNM101 (@mnm101) said on 2nd February 2013, 16:31
isn’t nico the one that wears yellow(helmet, gloves, boots) ? wonder if he switched colors
William Brierty said on 2nd February 2013, 17:31
I hear a rumour, just a rumour, that Rosberg’s new helmet is based on his dear dad’s. Mercedes have also confirmed that they will be fielding a “new look” for 2013, although I doubt the implications of that probably don’t extend beyond new t-shirts. I mean, how many types of silver are there?
Dion (@infinitygc) said on 2nd February 2013, 18:32
Maybe they’ll go for Graphite with a bit of white and re- Oh, wait…
cjpdk (@cjpdk) said on 2nd February 2013, 21:59
They could not paint them and just leave the stainless steel on show, like the original “Silver Arrows”
Actually that’s never going to happen, but now that I’ve wrote that I really, really want it!
JerseyF1 (@jerseyf1) said on 3rd February 2013, 8:53
If it turns out Mercedes’ W03 was made of stainless steel then perhaps we should actually have been more impressed with their performance!
Max Jacobson (@vettel1) said on 3rd February 2013, 10:13
@cjpdk – there may be a problem with that because the cars are mostly carbon composite!
@jerseyf1 haha!
Jason (@jason12) said on 3rd February 2013, 13:31
Ooh Beautiful!
OmarR-Pepper (@omarr-pepper) said on 2nd February 2013, 14:15
I just hope their TwitR doesn’t collapse! And by the way, is the door going to open slowwwwwwwwly? I mean, when the drivers unveil it more “traditionally”, it just takes seconds.
Max Jacobson (@vettel1) said on 2nd February 2013, 15:42
@omarr-pepper – I interpreted it as there are going to be several doors; one will open everytime #F1W04Reveal is tweeted until all the doors are opened and the car is fully revealed.
Whether the picture will give us any clues though remains to be seen!
Finlay (@fintard96) said on 2nd February 2013, 14:28
Funny that Mercedes should use twitter to launch the car after the trouble Hamilton has had with it!!
Erivaldo moreirra (@erivaldonin) said on 2nd February 2013, 15:19
big idea !
Jon E said on 2nd February 2013, 16:06
Big idea => Bad idea as its brought down their web site :(
mrhanz said on 2nd February 2013, 16:07
AAAAAAAND the website is down.
John H (@john-h) said on 2nd February 2013, 16:12
Probably not the best time to mention your sponsors ;)
dan (@f190) said on 2nd February 2013, 16:38
Merc F1 = Facepalm !
mclaren (@mclaren) said on 2nd February 2013, 16:10
Site Down, maybe they just wanted more hits on their apparantely unpopular site!