F1: Mercedes W15 Revealed with New Livery as Lewis Hamilton's Final Silver Arrows

The Mercedes Formula 1 team has unveiled their 2024 F1 challenger, the W15, which will be Lewis Hamilton's last German car before he moves to Ferrari. The W15 is set to make its first appearance on a demo day at Silverstone Circuit, where both Hamilton and his teammate, George Russell, will briefly demonstrate the vehicle.

Throughout the past year, the team has been engulfed in meetings about implementing substantial modifications to its F1 car. When it became clear in Bahrain that continuing with the 2022 concept was not the best course of action, the German team then switched to a more conventional design approach at the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix. During the season, the crew noticed that the limits of the W14's architecture were preventing them from making significant advancements. As a result, the 2024 W15 is the vehicle that will provide the means to overcome these limitations, with an emphasis on the chassis, suspension, and gearbox.

Throughout 2023, James Allison, the reappointed technical director, repeatedly stressed the necessity of making significant changes. The W15's radical redesigns demonstrate the team's determination to break free of the constraints of earlier models.

F1: What's New in Mercedes W15

With the W15, the team may make more significant changes than they could throughout the season. The W15 draws on the lessons learned from the previous two seasons. Now that a new car has been introduced, the team has takes advantage of the chance to make more significant adjustments that go beyond what can be done during the season. Notable modifications include a new chassis and an upgraded gearbox housing.

Increasing downforce while decreasing drag has been the team's ongoing goal in their pursuit of aerodynamic efficiency. Fixing the problems caused by the previous vehicle's erratic back axle has taken centre stage. Much work has gone into improving handling, especially at the back end, so that it performs more consistently and predictably than the W14. In addition, we have optimised pit stop performance and fine-tuned the DRS effect. 

Technical Director James 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,” James continued.

Even though they finished the 2023 season in a respectable second place in the constructors' championship, Red Bull nevertheless managed to complete the year with a massive lead. Mercedes will conduct a shakedown in Bahrain on Tuesday, the day before formal testing begins.