Mercedes have revealed the W15 during a launch event held at Silverstone with a car that has been described as a “complete relaunch”.
After winning 8 consecutive World Constructors Championships from 2014-2021, Mercedes have failed to get to grips with the new regulations introduced in 2022, winning just one race in the last two years.
Having abandoned their original ‘zero-sidepod’ concept early into the 2023 concept, they were limited with just how much they could overhaul their car to match Red Bull’s winning design philosophy. That means that the W15 is the team’s first opportunity to fully rework the car from the ground up, and Mercedes Team Principal and CEO Toto Wolff has described the car as a “complete overhaul”.
“We know we have a mountain to climb to fight at the very front. There are no miracles in this sport. But our ambition and determination are strong. Since charting this new course, development has progressed well. We had several items on our priority list for this car. We will soon see if we’ve made the step we’ve aimed for.”
Technical Director James Allison explained that whilst the design of a new car builds upon the old design, there have been many areas that the team have been able to improve that just weren’t possible during last season.
“Changes include a new chassis, and new gearbox casing. Aerodynamically, as ever, the focus has been on efficiency, the endless quest for finding more downforce with less drag and delivering it to the tack in a manner that complements the function of the suspension and tyres.
“With this current generation of cars, so much of the performance comes from how the floor interacts with the road. Whether or not a car is effective is down to how well that floor is permitted to behave aerodynamically.
“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.”
The launch comes under the cloud of knowing that this will be Lewis Hamilton’s last season with the team. This is the Brit’s 12th season with the team, a time period where he won 6 World Driver’s Championships. He described the whole experience as “emotional, it’s very surreal to be here. I came here in 2013, 11 years with the team, this is the start of my 12th. It is such a privilege to work with people to see the work they’re doing over the winter.
“I’ve always loved working with the team, particularly when there’s so many people, it’s a huge human element. Without those people working so incredibly hard, we wouldn’t get where we want to be. It’s great when we have a common goal and we focus on that on the whole year, it’s a real privilege.”
