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Get acquainted with Mercedes' F1 'Power Unit'

The first lights-out of the 2014 Formula One season can be measured in hours, not months. If you've heard anything about pre-season testing you know that even the teams are expecting carnage - Fernando Alonso at Ferrari, who's had a comparatively good pre-season, said "the first priority is to finish." Christian Horner, team principal at Infiniti Red Bull Racing, has said he wouldn't be surprised if Mercedes AMG Petronas driver Lewis Hamilton finishes the first race two laps ahead of the field.

The power units have been the root of the off-season mess, and in case you're not clear on how they work - or don't work, as teams are finding - the Mercedes team has provided a video laying it out. The turbocharged 1.6-liter V6 has to work with two power units, one that collects brake energy and one that collects turbo energy for a battery called the "energy store," all of which is meant to help go a race distance using about 33 percent less fuel than last year. For the teams that actually make it race distance, at least.

You can watch the video below.

Mercedes-Benz Information

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