Mercedes has unveiled the W15 at Silverstone ahead of a shakedown for the new car, that features a fresh silver and black livery.
The team switched from the iconic Mercedes silver to a black color scheme in 2020, and after a return to silver in 2022 last year’s car was also fully black. Now the two liveries have been combined on a car that technical director James Allison says is intended to be more driver-friendly after two tough years under the current regulations.
Hitting the track for our first run with W15 😍 pic.twitter.com/6SLK7EOR9y
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) February 14, 2024
“The design of any car is an iterative process,” Allison said. “And a long one at that. ”It stretches back to last year. A new car enables the team to make bigger alterations that are not possible during the season. These are decisions that are taken during the preceding summer.
“A big focus has been on improving the previous car’s unpredictable rear axle. We have worked hard to ensure that both axles, but particularly the rear axle, retain better control of the tire than on the W14. There’s also been some housekeeping on areas in which we had room for improvement, including the DRS effect, and pit stop performance.
“We feel like we have had a good winter, but F1 is a relative game and only time will tell how big a step we’ve made. We’re focused on getting the most from the car we launch, but we are excited by the development race that will follow as the regulations are still young and opportunities abound.”
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Lewis Hamilton and George Russell will shake the car down on Wednesday at Silverstone, with the circuit split into two shorter configurations as McLaren does the same. With Hamilton set to join Ferrari in 2025, team principal Toto Wolff says the target is to move clear of the pack chasing Red Bull this year.
“A very busy winter — obviously it’s going to be our last season with Lewis so we are keen on bringing a really quick car, and then in the factory hard-working to deliver the product which we shall see today how it goes,” Wolff said.
“We got it wrong with the new regulations but when we are looking back in 10 years — or even longer — and we’re going to read that we finished first eight times in a row and then third and second in the constructors’, it will look like it was a respectable result and wasn’t so bad. But this is not counting another team and another driver winning most of the races.
“So our aim is to consolidate our position towards Ferrari and McLaren, sometimes Aston Martin, and be at the forward part of that group, at the same time as trying to race at the very front. This is our aim. We are determined to do so, and at the same time we know how difficult it is because you’re a step behind your main competitor that has gotten it right straight from the get go, but we love the challenge and that is why we are all so eager to see the car finally driving.”
Wolff believes Mercedes has the facilities and personnel to close in on Red Bull with the W15, given the lessons learned from its previous cars.
“Most important is that you look inwards. What is it that we got wrong? Why did the virtual world not correlate with the real world?” he said. “I think we’ve found some clues, we went in this direction, we tried to eliminate as many variables as possible, and the buzz that is in the company is something that I haven’t seen for so many years.
“We know it’s difficult. We know it’s a big mountain to climb because if a team is far ahead — like the Red Bull was last year — that’s not easy. But we have a superb driver combination, hopefully a fast car, the best people in the factory that are giving it all in order to succeed, and I think there are some very good ingredients to be back at the front again.”