Mercedes has started its final journey with Lewis Hamilton with F1 2024 car and livery launch in a small event at Silverstone.
Mercedes has unveiled a revised 2024 F1 livery in a small launch event online from Silverstone in the presence of Hamilton, George Russell and Toto Wolff. The W15 not only features the black colour, but they added its iconic silver grey too.
The car has visible change from last year as Mercedes decided to change its concept very early on. They have a new chassis and gearbox casing as well. They will get its first chance to run the car at Silverstone with a shakedown planned for Wednesday.
“We know we have a mountain to climb to fight at the very front. There are no miracles in this sport,” said Wolff. “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.
“As the saying goes: when it stings, it sticks. I believe the previous two years were necessary for us to readjust, recalibrate and reinvent ourselves in certain areas. That root-and-branch approach is never easy. But we’ve made progress and look forward to taking the next step with the W15. It won’t be a linear path, but when we stumble, we will get back up and keep climbing.
“Performance was always at the forefront of our minds with the black livery last year. 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 PETRONAS providing important highlights.
“Our commercial strategy has evolved over recent years. We have always been focused on building long-term relationships with partners that share our values and delivering clear return on investment. We have now made the conscious decision to refine our partner ecosystem. We want to concentrate on a smaller, select group of partners, to better serve and deliver on their return on investment.
“We pride ourselves on trying to be the very best in every single area, and we believe this approach is the way we can achieve this with our partners. We’re intrigued to see how the car will perform. We hope to have solved some of the inherent problems and we will get our first indications of the progress we’ve made during pre-season testing. From there, we will understand more about the challenge that is ahead of us. There are no crystal balls in this sport. But we will at least know the gap we are aiming to close down. Our ambition is strong and we’re ready to get going.”
On the car side, James Allison stated: “The design of any car is an iterative process. 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 tyre 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.
“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.”
On the engine side, Hywel Thomas noted: “We’ve worked incredibly closely with our team-mates in Brackley. We all have our piece of the jigsaw we are responsible for. We’re always looking at how we maximise our part, but also how we work together to create the strongest possible package. Despite the homologation of the Power Unit, there’s still performance we can bring.
“We are focused on providing the highest performing, but also the most reliable product we can. This year, reliability is arguably even more important that in 2023. It’s quite a big challenge,” Hywel admitted. “We know that not finishing races is detrimental to your points scoring so it’s a huge focus. The change to the regulations to ensure we still have four Power Units across the season is helpful.
“But we know that with the longest calendar in F1 history, our ability to create the most reliable and performant product possible will still be tested. To have a rule set that has attracted new manufacturers, and has a clear real-world relevance, is excellent. It’s a chance to showcase our talent, our innovative approaches, and the possibilities the sport can bring. It’s great, and people walk around with smiles on their faces as they tackle this project.”
And finally, from the drivers side, Hamilton started: “The learnings of the past two years have helped us find our direction. It’s enabled us to find our north star. It’s still going to be a work in progress, but we will face whatever challenges present themselves with our heads up, with open minds, and work through diligently.
“If you’re not comfortable with the car, you’re not able to extract the maximum performance. A more stable, more predictable car will enable us to extract the potential from not only the car, but ourselves as drivers. I know what this team is capable of. I am incredibly grateful for the work of every single person in this team. Every time you’re in the factory, you can see the sheer drive and determination of everyone. We are all mega-motivated for the year ahead and will be giving it everything we’ve got on the journey ahead.”
And Russell added: “We’ve learnt and grown as a team over the past two seasons. It’s not been plain sailing, but I truly believe the journey we’ve been on will make us stronger in the long run. The whole team has been working incredibly hard and we hope to have made a step with the W15.
“We made progress with some of the nastier characteristics of the W14 throughout last year. But we still had a narrow operating window and, once we were outside of that, the car was difficult to drive. If we can continue to widen the operating window of the car, that will provide confidence for us as a drivers and from there, lap time is easier to find.
“F1 is an incredibly difficult sport. It’s very hard to win. And that’s why we love it. Every woman and man at Brackley and Brixworth is so focused on getting to the top. We continue with that focus and dedication into 2024 and I’m excited to see where that takes us.”
F1 2024 livery/car launch –
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