Mercedes_2024

Mercedes endured a difficult 2023 season with the W14, where they finished second behind Red Bull with 451 points adrift, and barely able to keep second place ahead of Ferrari by 3 points.

Team Principal Toto Wolff stated that the team would change the concept for the W15, including the way they laid out the chassis, the weight, and the airflow. Wolff added that changing almost all components could be the best shot for the team to contend in front in 2024.
Before heading into the off-season break, Hamilton stated the mood in Brackley and Brixworth camps were "positive", and he had an opportunity to check the progress of the W15's development in their wind tunnel, despite unable to pinpoint on where the team is with the new car.

Technical Director James Allison labelled the W15 project as "ambitious" and stated the team had made a lot of progress with the car over the winter. Allison later clarified that the late introduction of sidepods starting from the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix wasn't the main feature that sealed their shortcomings in 2023, and added that the W15 will look significantly different from its predecessors. Wolff recounted that the team's simulator driver, Anthony Davidson, tested the W15 in the simulator driving it in Melbourne and spoke favorably of the results, stating "The car felt like a proper car in two years."

In February 2024, Hamilton announced that the 2024 season would be his last with Mercedes as he would depart to Ferrari in the following season, meaning that the W15 would be the last car he drove for the Silver Arrows.

The W15 was unveiled at Silverstone Circuit on 14 February and was livestreamed on the team's YouTube channel. The car sported a mostly bare carbon fibre and black livery, though with a silver nose cone and their title sponsor, Petronas' teal as an accent colour.
From the technical side, the car had a different sidepod shape, and the team opted to make the switch from pull-rod suspension into push-rod suspension system. The team focused on resolving W14's unpredictable axle issue over the winter to make sure the same issue didn't happen on the W15. Another notable feature is that the team pushed the cockpit position a bit further back, something that Hamilton has been vocal about starting from their 2022 car. Hamilton and Russell drove in a brief 15 km demo day at Silverstone with the first proper running held as part of their 200 km filming day in Bahrain, before pre-season testing commenced.

Physics by xiaolong wu
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