Mercedes Launch new-look Formula 1 2024: Aims to Challenge Red Bull Dominance

(CTN News) – Mercedes has introduced the drastically redesigned car, dubbed a “complete relaunch,” which they think will help them to ascend the “mountain” and catch Red Bull in Formula 1 2024.

In addition to the long-awaited revisions in the car concept for the W15, the team has announced a revamped livery, with Mercedes’ classic silver returning on the nose and the green of title sponsor Petronas to complement the black of recent seasons.

The car will also be Lewis Hamilton’s 12th and final for the team, following the surprise announcement earlier this month that he had inserted a break clause into his new two-year Mercedes deal to leave for Ferrari in 2025.

“It’s going to be our last season with Lewis, so we are keen on really bringing a quick car,” said team boss Toto Wolff after Mercedes failed to win a race for the first time in 11 years in 2023 and only once in 2022.

Hamilton attended the Silverstone launch ceremony alongside Wolff and teammate George Russell, his first public appearance since announcing his Ferrari move.

“It’s been emotional,” Hamilton stated of recent weeks. “It’s odd to be here because I joined the team in 2013 and am in my 11th year.

Mercedes’ Strategic Shift: Chassis Redesign and Focus on Predictable Rear Downforce

“This is the first time I have seen the car come together as a whole, but to know everything underneath the hood, which people won’t get to see, but George and I will experience on the track, it’s exciting.”

Hamilton and Russell, starting his third year with Mercedes, will perform their maiden circuits in the W15 at the British Grand Prix venue later on Wednesday. Next week, the car and team will go to Bahrain for pre-season testing, which will be shown live on Sky Sports Formula 1 2024 from February 21 to 23.

Wolff stated that the W15 represents a “complete relaunch” of the team’s approach to the current period of regulations, which has been dominated by rivals Red Bull, who won 21 of the 22 races last season from the beginning of 2022.

“We understand we have a mountain to climb to battle at the front. “There are no miracles in this sport,” conceded co-owner Wolff, who signed a new three-year contract this winter to continue his long-held responsibilities as team principal and CEO as he seeks to lead Mercedes’ return to the front of the grid.

“However, our ambition and determination are great.

“Since charting this new course, development has developed nicely. We had several items on our priority list for this vehicle. We’ll soon see if we’ve taken the steps we wanted.”

Take a first look at Mercedes’ W15! 👀⚫ pic.twitter.com/vCMsOFoVjB

— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) February 14, 2024

The team’s technical director, James Allison, said: “We feel like we had a decent winter, but Formula 1 2024 is a relative game, and only time will tell how far we’ve come.

“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.”

Even before learning that this would be Hamilton’s final season at Brackley, Mercedes knew they had a massive year ahead in 2024, following two years of underperformance since Formula 1 2024’s technical rules were altered.

Wolff publicly admitted almost a year ago, after the 2023 season’s first qualifying session in Bahrain, when their new car qualified 0.6s behind Max Verstappen’s Red Bull on pole, that Mercedes were not on the path to success with the design approach they had taken with the W13 and W14 ground-effect cars and needed to make wholesale changes moving forward.

While this influenced their approach to upgrades to the W14 for the remainder of last season – with the unique but ultimately unsuccessful ‘zero-sidepod’ concept abandoned from May’s Monaco GP – and they finished a respectable second in the Constructors’ Championship ahead of Ferrari, who undoubtedly had the faster car at the end of the year, the team stressed that it could not fully embark on a different development path until this year’s brand-new W15.

“This is a complete relaunch of a car,” Wolff stated.

“This is quite different. Not only on the aerodynamic surfaces but primarily beneath, we have made numerous mechanical upgrades that we think will result in increased performance, predictability, and a car that drivers can push.

“We will see it next week in Bahrain.”

Mercedes modified the chassis design for 2024, focusing on building a car with more constant and predictable rear downforce, allowing drivers to attack corners with confidence.

Allison, who returned to the hands-on technical director post midway through last year in a job swap with Mike Elliott, who has since departed the team, stated, “A major focus has been on fixing the previous car’s unreliable rear axle.

“We worked hard to guarantee that both axles, particularly the rear axle, have superior tyre control than the W14. There has also been some housekeeping in areas where we have potential to improve, such as the DRS effect and pit stop performance.”

And, in what appear to be broad alterations, particularly on the critical floor and adjacent parts underneath the car, where Red Bull has demonstrated such strength, Allison added: “With this current generation of cars, so much of the performance comes from how the floor interacts with the road.

“Whether or not a car is effective is down to how well that floor is permitted to behave aerodynamically.”

What are Mercedes’ goals for 2024? Hamilton: ‘The focus is first’

Since Red Bull won every race last year and won the Constructors’ Championship at a canter, scoring twice as many points as second-placed Mercedes, all of their immediate rivals have been cautious when talking about whether they’ll be able to take on the world champs right away when the season starts in Bahrain on February 29.

“Our goal is to consolidate our positions towards Ferrari and McLaren, sometimes Aston Martin, while also racing at the very front,” Wolff said.

“Our goal is to do that, but we know how hard it is because you’re a step behind your main competitor who got it right from the start.

“But we like a challenge, so I’m so eager, and all of us are so eager, to see the car finally driving.”

Mercedes in Formula 1 2024

The team hasn’t won since the end of the 2021 season, but Hamilton says he’s focused on getting back on top in 2024.

“It’s all about ‘first’ – getting back to where we once were,” said the seven-time world champion going for an outright eighth title.

“We’ve had these tough couple of years, which I think has been grounding for us. We have regrouped, had to look at things, and now we just have to be diligent with our work, understand the data, understand the car, and maximize from it.

“Georgia and I may get a taste of what’s to come even if we only get one lap today.”

Russell says the team is energised to return to the front despite an inconsistent second campaign with Mercedes.

“Most of the people there [at Mercedes’ factories in Brackley and Brixworth] are winners and champions, but there are also a lot of new people there who are motivated to bring Mercedes back,” Russell said.

“Everyone is so excited and motivated.

” It’s exciting to see the car as one, but it won’t matter until we see what the lap times produce.”

When is Formula 1 2024 pre-season testing?

Testing for the new season occurs from Wednesday, February 21, to Friday, February 23, at the Bahrain International Circuit.

When is the first Formula 1 2024 Race?

Formula 1 2024 race starts On February 29 and runs until March 2. The Bahrain Grand Prix will kick off the 2024 season.

Ramadan is a Muslim holy period, so the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will be on Saturdays.

We’ll do practice one and two on Thursdays and qualifying and final practice on Fridays.