Mercedes have launched their 2024 livery and their new challenger, the W15. The design ushers a partial return to the silver colourway with large splashes of black, and a hint of the Petronas green on the front nose.
The Silver Arrows are heading into their final year with Lewis Hamilton as a driver after the seven-time world champion agreed on a surprise move to join Ferrari for the 2025 campaign, despite signing a contract extension part-way through last season.
However, there is strong optimism within the Mercedes camp that the team can end their 12-year partnership on a high after edging out Ferrari in the battle for P2 in the Constructors’ Championship during the final round of last season.
Last season was an extremely disappointing one all things considered, but James Allison and his team have opted for a radical redesign when constructing the W15.
Speaking about the changes made in the development of the W15, Allison explained: “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.
“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.”
Heading into the final year of his Mercedes career, Hamilton is feeling hopeful that the team may have corrected some of the issues that have plagued him throughout the first two years of the ground-effect era.
“The learnings of the past two years have helped us find our direction,” he explained. “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.”
Hamilton also confirmed a desire fore greater stability with the W15, adding: “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.”
