Over the years, the Silverstone track has often been chosen by teams as the ideal venue to debut their new single-seaters. This year too the tradition is renewed and today both McLaren and Mercedes have chosen to take advantage of the opportunity to complete the first kilometers ahead of the test in Sakhir.
The two teams have in fact divided the circuit and the two different pit lanes, with the Brackley team taking advantage of the reduced version of the international circuit. Having the honor and burden of being the first to take to the track with the new W15 was George Russell, who started lapping shortly after 1pm, completing the first laps on asphalt that was still wet from the rain that fell in the morning.
A Mercedes that mixes two worlds from a chromatic point of view, combining the carbon black used in 2023 in order to save weight with the return of silver in the upper part of the frame, to remember the bond of the German team with its history and its colours.
From a technical point of view, the latest “Black Arrow” represents a breaking point with the two models that preceded it, born on the zero pod philosophy, with bellies sculpted to be as small as possible. After an initial departure with the package introduced in Monaco last year, Brackley engineers have worked hard to resolve the constraints and defects of the W14, intervening for example on the chassis and gearbox, revised to accommodate new solutions and ideas.
The nose and front wing have been revised with interesting solutions, as can be seen from the shape of the last element positioned higher up, which does not connect with the entire section directly to the nose to facilitate the passage of air.
The bellies present numerous changes, in particular for the entrance of the radiator openings, with a shape that differs significantly from that seen on other machines. Among the objectives mentioned are those of creating a car with less resistance to progress, also improving efficiency with open DRS, but also better performance when cornering. To achieve this, Mercedes also worked on the chassis and gearbox, and also worked on the rear suspension by switching to the push rod scheme.
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, George Russell, Mercedes, Toto Wolff, Team Principal and CEO, Mercedes-AMG
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Photo credit: Mercedes AMG
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W15
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Photo credit: Mercedes AMG
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W15
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Photo credit: Mercedes AMG
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W15
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Photo credit: Mercedes AMG
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W15
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Photo credit: Mercedes AMG
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W15
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Photo credit: Mercedes AMG
George Russell, Mercedes W15
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Photo credit: Mercedes AMG
Mercedes F1 W15
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Photo credit: Mercedes AMG
George Russell, Mercedes W15
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Photo credit: Mercedes AMG
George Russell, Mercedes W15
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Photo credit: Mercedes AMG
Mercedes F1 W15
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Photo credit: Mercedes AMG
The technical group led by James Allison, recalled after a very disappointing start to 2023, has intervened on various aspects with the ambition of returning to winning Grands Prix and getting significantly closer to Red Bull. An objective also shared by Ferrari, McLaren and Aston Martin, which is why there will undoubtedly be fierce competition.
In designing this car, Mercedes also accepted some of the drivers' requests, in particular Lewis Hamilton, who had complained about the cockpit being too far forward, which led to an unbalanced car. To find a balance that could give the riders greater confidence, especially with the rear, the engineers essentially started from a blank sheet of paper.
It will also be the last Mercedes of the seven-time world champion, who will move to Ferrari next year: for Hamilton the hope is to conclude this adventure with a smile before starting a new chapter in his career.
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