Mercedes have revealed the W15, their car for the 2024 season and Lewis Hamilton’s final Mercedes, at their launch event at Silverstone.
The team has presented a vastly revised car from its predecessor, the W14, which was only the third Mercedes produced F1 car in the modern era to fail to win a grand prix.
The W15 again features a predominately black colour scheme, following on from last year’s car, but with silver returning to the front of the car along the nose. The 2024 car abandons the ill-fated ‘zero sidepod’ concept for a more Red Bull-esque approach to the current ground effect regulations.
The W15 will be the 12th and final Mercedes that Lewis Hamilton will drive for the team ahead of his blockbuster move to Ferrari for next season. Hamilton will again race alongside team mate George Russell for the third and final year.
Team principal Toto Wolff says that the W15 marks a “complete relaunch” for Mercedes for this season.
“We know we have a mountain to climb to fight at the very front. There are no miracles in this sport,” Wolff said. “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.”
Wolff says that the revised livery on the car for 2024, with the return of silver to the front of the car, is because the team were in a position to paint more of the car due to weight saving measures.
“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 with the distinctive colours of Ineos and and Petronas providing important highlights.”
Mercedes describe the shade of red used on the nose, rear wing and roll hoop in honour of team part-owners Ineos as ‘Toto rosso’. The car also features accents of green of title sponsors Petronas.
Mercedes will run the W15 later today for the first time in a shakedown run at the Silverstone circuit. The team finished second in the championship last season, far behind Red Bull, after jumping ahead of Ferrari in the standings. However, the team failed to win a grand prix last year for the first time since the 2011…
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