2 terrible years have advised Mercedes to recall one of the great authors of the three-pointed star era, that is, the one that started in 2014 and stopped in 2021 with the last title, the Constructors' one.
Today the team directed by Toto Wolff presented the W15, the single-seater that will allow Mercedes to return to where it ended 2021, that is, at the top among the Manufacturers and in play to win the Drivers' World Championship until the last corner.
Beyond the livery, which attracted attention for the use of both the black already seen in past years (including 2023) and for the return of silver, which finally brings a team back to its origins that seemed to have lost all the characteristics , including the chromatic ones, which had distinguished the era of success that ended just over 24 months ago.
On the sidelines of the presentation of the new single-seater, technical director James Allison wanted to explain the main concepts that led his team to create the W15 as we see it and, presumably, as we will see it in the Sakhir tests next week .
“The design of any car is an iterative process. And a very long one at that,” explained technical director James Allison. “It extends back to last year. A new car allows the team to make bigger changes that aren't possible during the season. These are decisions that are made during the previous summer.”
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W15
Photo by: Mercedes AMG
Allison immediately made two important factors clear. That is, the redesign from scratch, starting from a blank sheet of paper, of the chassis and gearbox. As regards aerodynamics, however, attention is always given to efficiency and the opportunity to generate as little resistance to progress as possible.
“These changes include a new chassis and a new gearbox. From an aerodynamic point of view, as always the focus has been on efficiency. The endless search for greater downforce with less resistance to advancement and to distribute it on the track in a to integrate the function of the suspensions and tires”.
One of the W14's big weaknesses was found in the rear axle. It is precisely there that Allison's men paid so much attention to try to find solutions that could allow the car to use the tires better and for longer.
“A lot of attention was paid to improving the rear axle, because in the 2023 W14 it was unpredictable,” Allison continued. “We've worked hard to ensure that both axles, but particularly the rear, are able to maintain better tire control than the W14. We've also made some changes to areas where we had room for improvement, including the effect of the DRS and performance in the pits.”
Interventions on the bottom could not be missing, which on the single-seaters of this generation – with ground effect – is of vital importance to find performance.
“With the current generation of cars, much of the performance comes from the way the surface interacts with the road. Whether or not a car is effective depends on the aerodynamic behavior of the surface. The surface behaves aerodynamically.”
“We feel we've had a good winter, but F1 is a relative game and only time will tell how much we've achieved. We're focused on getting the most out of the car we launched today, but we're excited about the development race that will follow, as the regulations are still young and opportunities abound,” concluded Allison.
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