Laurence Edmondson, F1 EditorFeb 14, 2024, 10:41 AM
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- •Joined ESPN in 2009
•An FIA accredited F1 journalist since 2011
Mercedes has launched its new Formula One car, the W15, ahead of its first shakedown test at Silverstone on Wednesday.
The new car will likely be the last Mercedes driven by Lewis Hamilton in F1, who announced earlier this month that he will leave the team at the end of 2024 to join Ferrari.
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The launch of the new car follows two fallow seasons for the former champions, with just one victory since F1 introduced new technical regulations in 2022.
In that time, rivals Red Bull have swept to two dominant drivers' and constructors' championships, including a record season in 2023 in which it won 21 of the 22 races.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said he still expected Red Bull to be leading the way at the start of this year, but made clear his team was determined to hunt down their rivals.
"On one hand, you need to be realistic about the odds of beating a team that is a fair chunk ahead under these regulations, and who got things right over the last two seasons whilst we have not," he said. "There are no miracles in the sport.
"On the other hand, our ambition is strong. It is Red Bull and a very successful car that are the benchmark we are aiming to beat. I do not know when that will happen, we do not have any crystal ball. But we will know soon enough how far ahead they are and the task in front of us.
"We hate losing, and that drives us. But that does not mean that we can't enjoy the challenge we have in front of us, working through our problems and what we need to do as a team. That is all part of the development."
Mercedes started altering its development direction last year, although it was not feasible to change certain aspects of the car, such as the monocoque and rear suspension, until the start of this season.
New push-rod rear suspension is one of the more obvious alterations to the W15, and technical director James Allison said the biggest changes had been agreed upon as early as last summer.
"When we talk about a layout change, you're generally talking about where the engine sits in the chassis, what geometry of rear suspension you're going to have on the gearbox and what changes you are going to make to the part that contains the driver," he said. "Those are all three things that are hypothetically doable in the middle of a year but come at such huge opportunity cost that you would never contemplate it.
"But nevertheless, you need to commit to them in the preceding summer. The off-season is about proving to yourself on your internal rigs and simulators that those pieces are what you hope they might be; that it looks like it will deliver on your hopes."
The team has also aimed to remove some of the unwanted handling characteristics of the last two years after both Hamilton and teammate George Russell said the W14's unpredictable rear made the 2023 car difficult to drive on the limit.
"If you're not comfortable with the car, you're not able to extract the maximum performance," Hamilton said. "A more stable, more predictable car will enable us to extract the potential from not only the car, but ourselves as drivers."
Allison added: "A big focus has been on improving the previous car's unpredictable rear axle, which the drivers often referred to as spiteful. We have worked on that to try and create a car that is reassuring to the drivers.
"At the beginning of a corner when you're hard on the brakes and turning in, the rear needs to feel rock solid. And then as you get towards the apex, the car needs to feel progressively more nimble, and eager, to turn. We have been trying to build that into the car.
"We've also worked hard to create a less draggy car, and to add performance in the corners. There's also been some housekeeping on areas in which we had room for improvement, including the DRS effect, and pit stop performance."
Last year the car featured large swathes of unpainted carbon fibre to save weight, but the W15 sees a return of Mercedes' traditional silver paintwork on the nose of the car.
Sponsor colours also feature prominently, including the red of chemical company and part-owner INEOS. Mercedes has dubbed the red "Toto Rosso" in reference to the original name of Red Bull's junior team, Toro Rosso, which is now controversially named Visa Cash App RB.
"Performance was always at the forefront of our minds with the black livery last year," Wolff said. "Weight is a crucial factor in this current generation of cars.
"We knew that, once we were in position to do so, we would bring back the Mercedes silver to accompany the black that has become a pillar of our team identity. The livery truly reflects who we are as a team."
