Britons George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, who is seeking his eighth world title with which to set a new record, will drive the W14, mainly black edged with green stripes, the color of its main sponsor Petronas.
The traditional gray of the “silver arrows” that the W13 sported in 2022 gives way to black, mainly to reduce the weight of the car.
“Last year we were overweight, this year we tried to see if we could lose a few grams”, leaving some unpainted carbon parts, explained the team director Toto Wolff, during the online presentation of the W14.
“We will not neglect any detail in our quest to save every millisecond,” he added.
The team had already worn that image in 2020 and 2021, in tribute to the fight against racism that Lewis Hamilton defends so much. “The color black became part of our DNA at that time, so we’re happy to bring it back,” Wolff said.
The main challenge for Mercedes this season will be to return to the fight for the title, after a 2022 season full of ups and downs and with only one victory for the team in 22 races, that of George Russell in the Brazilian GP.
It was the first winless season for Lewis Hamilton since he arrived in F1 in 2007. Despite the setback, “I still like racing, I think my DNA has never changed, I always thought I could improve,” said the 38-year-old. , whose contract with Mercedes ends at the end of the season.
“Our hopes are placed on being able to compete for a world championship, but our rivals were very strong last year, and we have to catch up,” Toto Wolff admitted.
In 2022, the German manufacturer, so successful in recent years, tried as best he could to get rid of his problems mainly linked to the aerodynamics of the car.
The W13, which was born from a unique aerodynamic concept after the entry into force of a new regulation a year ago, made it difficult for its pilots.
The new car retains the qualities of its predecessor, but Wolff is cautious: “We are on the path we wanted to be on in terms of performance, but we don’t know how the others are doing, I think we need to stay humble, especially after last year.” .
Mercedes finished in third place in the constructors’ championship, far from the super-competitive cars of Red Bull and Ferrari, but the Germans assure that this year they will do “everything possible to return to the top”.