Mercedes starts the journey towards the start of the 2024 FIA Formula One World Championship season today with the launch of the Mercedes-AMG F1 W15 E PERFORMANCE.
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FP1 in Bahrain, the start of the 2024 campaign, lies 15 days away. Just 80 days ago, the 2023 season ended. Despite the lack of racing, the factories at Brackley and Brixworth have been buzzing with activity. The team has worked hard on a project that began almost 12 months ago.
In the immediate aftermath of a disappointing 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix, the team looked hard in the mirror at every aspect of our operations. A new direction was set, beginning a period of renewal. Despite the limitations of the W14’s pre-existing architecture, there was tangible progress. A hard-fought, year-long battle netted second in the Constructors’ Championship. The mission continues into 2024.
“We know we have a mountain to climb to fight at the very front. There are no miracles in this sport,” Toto Wolff, Team Principal & CEO of the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team, commented. “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.”
Continued Evolution
“The design of any car is an iterative process- and a long one at that,” Technical Director James Allison explained. It stretches back to last year. A new car enables the team to make bigger, impossible alterations during the season. These decisions are made during the preceding summer.”
These changes include a new chassis and a 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 track in a manner that complements the function of the suspension and tyres.
“A big focus has been improving the previous car’s unpredictable rear axle,” James continued. “We have worked hard to ensure that both axles, particularly the rear axle, retain better control of the tyre than on the W14. There’s also been some housekeeping on areas where we had room for improvement, including the DRS effect and pit stop performance.”
However, the main differentiating factors lie in the underside of the car. James added: “With this current generation of cars, so much of the…
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