2024 Mercedes F1 car launch: W15 revealed as Wolff admits 'mountain to climb'

F1

Watch Mercedes' 2024 F1 car launch, featuring a new livery, as team boss Toto Wolff announces his determination to beat Red Bull and deliver Lewis Hamilton success in his final year with the team.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff announced his determination to beat Red Bull as he launched this year’s 2024 F1 car, the W15, ahead of a brief Silverstone shakedown later in the day.

He was joined by George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, in his last year for the team, as he spoke of the car as a “complete relaunch” intended break the cycle of the past two years which have seen the team race deeply flawed machines.

“It is very different,” said Wolff at the live-streamed launch from Silverstone. “Not just on the aerodynamic surfaces but there are so many mechanical changes we have done.” He said that the new car should offer “more performance and more predictability” which should allow the drivers to push harder.

The car’s livery hasn’t escaped the revamp either — there’s a return for silver on the car’s nose, which is flanked by a turquoise stripe in a nod to sponsor Petronas.

Mercedes 2024 F1 car 1

Mercedes is in search of its first grand prix win since 2022 — Hamilton hasn’t win since 2021, and Wolff said that he is determined to rectify that before the seven-time champion leaves for Ferrari.

“It’s our last season with Lewis so we’re keen on bringing a really quick car,” added Wolff. “We want to make his final year with us as successful as we can.

“We know we have a mountain to climb to fight at the very front. There are no miracles in this sport. 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.

“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.”

Mercedes W15 side view launch image

The car will run for the first time at Silverstone in a demonstration run, limiting its mileage to just nine miles — no more than two laps of the circuit. Mercedes will then carry out a longer shakedown ahead of pre-season testing in Bahrain next week.

In statements accompanying the launch, technical director James Allison spoke about the investment that it has taken to change the new car in the hope of a performance leap. “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.

“The cost cap does force you to pick and choose your battles, and there’s no doubt that having a new outer [gearbox] casing as well as at the same time as having a new chassis are two big projects that are going to take a chunk of our available firepower. That is what we have done this year. It does mean that in other parts of the car we have not tried to reinvent the wheel.”

Mercedes W15 rear view launch image

The images released so far don’t show the changes in detail, and neither can we see the considerable work that is thought to have gone in to the underbody aerodynamics that provide the majority of the downforce.

Hamilton affirmed his commitment to the team after describing the “emotional” decision to leave the team after what will be 12 seasons. “The focus through all of winter training is to get the team back to where it was,” he said.

“I have always loved working with the team, particularly when there are so many people. We all have that common goal and are all focused on that.”

 

Mercedes 2024 F1 car live stream

Watch the live stream of Mercedes’ 2024 F1 car reveal at the top of this page.

 

2023: Another year of struggle

2023 Saudi Arabian GP Russell Hamilton mercedes

Mercedes drivers’ qualifying pattern is tough to analyse

Mercedes

Put simply, 2023 must have hurt. After seven-straight drivers’ championships and eight-straight constructors’ titles, Mercedes are now renowned for being a team of inconsistent pace and for the most part can be found competing outside of podium contention. Following the troublesome W13, which had numerous aerodynamic issues — resulting in heavy ‘porpoising’ — the W14 didn’t have much to live up to but nevertheless underdelivered.

Eight podium finishes and no race victories marked a year to forget for the Brackley marque. But there were some highlights.

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Signs of promise showed in Australia, as Hamilton took advantage of late red flag chaos to finish a close second to Verstappen. Back-to-back podiums in Spain and Canada, followed by a third place finish in Singapore and second place finish in Mexico City solidified Hamilton’s presence on the grid as a continued threat to Red Bull’s supremacy.

Conversely, George Russell struggled. Two sole podium finishes were the only highlights in a year of missed opportunity — the ultimate low points being his crash from third in Singapore which put Mercedes race to second in the constructors’ at stake but the runner-up spot was eventually sealed in Abu Dhabi.

 

2024: Continuing to play catch-up 

Technical director James Allison has said that Mercedes has “set a pretty ambitious programme” for its championship hopeful and the car will feature a new front and rear suspension, new chassis and new gearbox. This falls in line with a brand new development plan which moves away from a ‘zero sidepod’ design but is still different from Red Bull’s winning formula.

Hamilton added: “I think we have understood the [2024] car so much better. We have developed great tools in the background. So naturally, I’m hopeful. But I’m not going to hold my breath.”

 

Mercedes-AMG 2023 F1 driver line-up

Lewis Hamilton portrait George Russell portrait
Lewis Hamilton George Russell
  • Hamilton holds a contract until the end of the 2023 season, with options to extend
  • Russell is seen as Mercedes-AMG’s long-term project, and thought to be committed to a deal until the end of 2024
  • Mick Schumacher will act as reserve driver for the 2023 season

 

Key personnel

Team Principal: Toto Wolff

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Whether it’s first-banging and irate finger-pointing in the garage, or simply winding up Christian Horner with irreverent comments to pundits, Toto Wolff has become one of the most recognisable people in the grand prix paddock. But don’t let any of that fool you, he’s also one of the most determined to get Mercedes-AMG back on top of the pile. Repeat winning hasn’t diminished his appetite for it, and he’s clear in his message.

Wolff himself said about this forthcoming year: “I believe we’ve taken some proactive steps to close that gap. Is it going to be good enough? I don’t know. But we’re going to see it in testing and then in the first race in Bahrain.

“I’m super excited. I’d like to start going now. It’s the stopwatch that’s going to tell us what job we’ve done.”

Race engineer: Peter Bonnington

Hamilton and engineer Bonnington on the podium

Not to be confused with the lead singer from U2, this Bono is far more effective on a race weekend, as he gears up for an 11th straight season as Lewis Hamilton’s race engineer. And it’s an important partnership, with Hamilton equalling Michael Schumacher’s record for the most seasons spent with any single F1 team this year, and he’s had Bono’s voice in his ear for all 200 of his Mercedes-AMG grand prix starts.

“I’m incredibly grateful for Bono. I’ve had an amazing journey with him, I think we’ve got one of the longest, if not the longest standing driver-engineer partnerships that there’s been, and he’s been hugely integral to my success,” Hamilton said.

“We’ve had an amazing journey together, we’ve supported each other on and off-track, through good and bad times, and I love working with Bono; he’s like a brother to me, a brother from another mother.”

That sort of bond could prove key to Hamilton’s revival after what must have been a hugely demotivating 2022 campaign, compounded by it coming right off the back of the events of Abu Dhabi 2021. How long will it be until we hear those familiar words “Get in there, Lewis!” crackle over the radio again?