Silver Arrows Shine Again

Unveiled on Wednesday, the W15 is the culmination of a year-long design journey, emerging as a distinctive competitor. “The process of designing a car is iterative and extensive,” says James Allison, Technical Director. “A new car opens the door for significant modifications that are not viable during the season.”

The team has made significant updates for this season, including a fresh chassis, gearbox, and a heightened focus on aerodynamics. With the W15, we're introducing an innovative approach to the car’s floor design. "In today's F1 landscape, optimizing the interaction between the floor and the road is crucial for performance," Allison highlights. "We've had a productive winter period, but success in F1 is always relative, and our progress will become clearer over time."

Toto Wolff, Team Principal, shares, “As the saying goes, ‘what hurts, teaches.’" He said that the past two years have been pivotal for them to recalibrate and reinvent ourselves. They have made significant progress and are keen to push further with the W15.

In an era where teams are opting for bare, black carbon fiber to reduce weight, Mercedes has cleverly integrated more silver into the livery. This aligns with the 90th anniversary of the “Silver Arrows,” a moniker given to the team in 1934.

“Performance was the driving force behind last year’s black livery,” Wolff explains. “In the current generation of vehicles, weight is a critical factor. Our plan was to reintroduce the classic Mercedes silver, blending it with the black that is central to our team’s brand.” The W15 is scheduled for a shakedown session at Silverstone later today, and pre-season trials in Bahrain are set to commence next week. As we witness Lewis Hamilton’s final season with the team, the question on everyone’s mind is - how will the W15 perform?