Mercedes W15

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Mercedes-AMG F1 W15 E Performance
A W15 driven by Hamilton during the Chinese Grand Prix.
CategoryFormula One
Designer(s)James Allison (Technical Director)
PredecessorMercedes W14
Technical specifications[1]
Suspension (front)Carbon fibre wishbone and pushrod-activated springs and dampers
Suspension (rear)Carbon fibre wishbone and pullrod-activated inboard springs and dampers
Lengthover 5,000 mm (197 in)
Width2,000 mm (79 in)
Height950 mm (37 in)
EngineMercedes-AMG F1 M15 E Performance
1.6 L (98 cu in) direct injection V6 turbocharged engine limited to 15,000 RPM in a mid-mounted, rear-wheel drive layout
Electric motorMotor Generator Unit Kinetic (MGU-K) and thermal energy recovery systems
Transmission8-speed hydraulic actuated semi automatic sequential gearbox, + 1 reverse gear
Weight798 kg (1,759 lb)
FuelPetronas Primax
LubricantsPetronas Tutela
Tyres
with BBS forged magnesium wheels: 18"
Competition history
Notable entrantsMercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team
Notable drivers
Debut2024 Bahrain Grand Prix
Last event2024 Chinese Grand Prix
RacesWinsPodiumsPolesF/Laps
50000

The Mercedes-AMG F1 W15 E Performance, commonly referred to as the Mercedes W15, is a Formula One racing car designed and built by the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team to compete in the 2024 Formula One World Championship.[1] This is the first Mercedes Formula One car fully designed by British designer and engineer James Allison since he returned to his previous position as Technical Director of Mercedes-AMG F1, swapping jobs with Mike Elliott, who had taken his place earlier.[2] The car is driven by returning drivers George Russell and 7-time FIA Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton, who is in his final season with the team.[3][4]

Background and design[edit]

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.[5]

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.[6] 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.[7]

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.[8] 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.[9] 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."[10]

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.[3]

The W15 was unveiled at Silverstone Circuit on 14 February and was livestreamed on the team's YouTube channel. The car sported a black livery with a silver nose with their sponsor, Petronas' turquoise color as its outline.[11] 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.[12] Hamilton and Russell made a brief 15km demo day in Silverstone with the first proper running will be held as part of their 200km filming day in Bahrain, before pre-season testing commenced.[13]

Season summary[edit]

Pre-season testing[edit]

Pre-season testing commenced on 21 February with Russell having the entire day for himself. Russell set the sixth fastest lap for the morning but would end up as the 12th fastest for the afternoon session.[14] Russell stated "The W15 felt nicer to drive compared to the W14. We will continue to maximize our time here to gather data to find the sweet spot."[15]

On Day 2, Hamilton completed over 100 laps and clocked in the third fastest time as the session went to a close.[16] After his testing duties, Hamilton confirmed his teammate's positive reception of the car and admitted that he enjoyed a productive day of testing.[17]

The team ended their pre-season testing on a good note with Russell finishing second fastest. Both drivers found the car much more stable and more predictable compared to its predecessor. Trackside engineering chief Andrew Shovlin was encouraged by the strong showing during the pre-season testing. Shovlin stated "The team has put in a lot of work to address the handling issues with the W14. So it's great to see that we have put these issues behind us."[18]

Opening rounds (Bahrain–Miami)[edit]

The record-breaking season kicked off in Bahrain with the team setting a 1–2 in FP2.[19] Mercedes had a mixed qualifying session as Russell qualified third while Hamilton was in distant ninth.[20] However, the race itself wasn't any better as Russell ended up fifth after suffering a power unit heating issue which required him to lift and coast. Hamilton finished the race in seventh after suffering an issue with his seat. Wolff claimed the team was losing around 0.5 seconds per lap due to the engine issue, which also hampered their customer team, Williams.[21]

In the FP2 of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Mercedes were fined €15.000 for failing to inform Hamilton of the incoming Logan Sargeant in the Williams, which resulted in a near miss between the two. Hamilton himself received a reprimand from the stewards.[22] Russell and Hamilton locked up the fourth row with the former starting from seventh.[23] Hamilton gambled by not pitting due to an early safety car, running as high as third at some point and defending the charging Oscar Piastri in the McLaren for 20 laps. Russell finished the race in sixth, 40 seconds behind winner Max Verstappen. Hamilton's seventh and ninth place finish marked his worst-ever start into the season since 2009. Hamilton stated, "It's definitely not fun finishing ninth despite I'm pushing as hard as I could, but we were lacking in the high-speed sections."[24]

In the Australian Grand Prix, Hamilton was knocked out of Q2 for the first time since its 2010 edition. Russell meanwhile qualified seventh, maintaining his Q3 appearance for the third consecutive race weekends.[25] The race marked the first double DNF for the team since the 2018 Austrian Grand Prix. Hamilton retired early due to a power unit failure while Russell crashed out in a penultimate lap incident with Fernando Alonso. Their lackluster Melbourne showing made Wolff "wanted to punch himself in the nose."[26]

In Japan, Hamilton out-qualified Russell for the first time in 2024 with the former starting from seventh, while the latter from ninth.[27] During the race Hamilton radioed his race engineer Peter Bonnington to ask whether he should let Russell by, which he promptly done so. The final classification was the reverse of the duo's starting grid.[28]

At the sprint qualifying of the Chinese Grand Prix, Hamilton puts the W15 on the front row behind Lando Norris, while Russell were knocked out in Q2 and had to start from 11th.[29] During the sprint race, Hamilton overtook Norris in the first corner and held the lead for a couple of laps before being overtaken by Verstappen. Hamilton finished the sprint in second place while Russell finished eighth — the last points-scoring position for the sprint.[30] Hamilton was knocked out in Q1 for the main race started the race from 18th. Russell had a better qualifying session and started the race from eighth on the grid.[31] During the race, Hamilton recovered to finish ninth and Russell in sixth. The team confirmed they will bring upgrades to Miami.[32]

Complete Formula One results[edit]

Key
Key
Colour Result
Gold Winner
Silver Second place
Bronze Third place
Green Other points position
Blue Other classified position
Not classified, finished (NC)
Purple Not classified, retired (Ret)
Red Did not qualify (DNQ)
Black Disqualified (DSQ)
White Did not start (DNS)
Race cancelled (C)
Blank Did not practice (DNP)
Excluded (EX)
Did not arrive (DNA)
Withdrawn (WD)
Did not enter (empty cell)
Annotation Meaning
P Pole position
F Fastest lap
Superscript
number 		Points-scoring position
in sprint
Year Entrant Power unit Tyres Driver name Grands Prix Points WCC pos.
BHR SAU AUS JPN CHN MIA EMI MON CAN ESP AUT GBR HUN BEL NED ITA AZE SIN USA MXC SAP LVG QAT ABU
2024 Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes-AMG F1 M15 P United Kingdom Lewis Hamilton 7 9 Ret 9 92 52* 4th*
United Kingdom George Russell 5 6 17† 7 68
Reference:[33][34]

* Season still in progress.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "F1 W15 E Performance". Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  2. ^ "Mercedes confirm leadership reshuffle as James Allison returns to Technical Director role". Formula 1® - The Official F1® Website. Retrieved 2023-04-21.
  3. ^ a b Chiu, Nigel; Slater, Craig (2 February 2024). "Lewis Hamilton to leave Mercedes and join Ferrari for 2025 Formula 1 season". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 29 March 2024. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  4. ^ "F1 Drivers 2024 - Verstappen, Hamilton, Leclerc and more". Formula 1® - The Official F1® Website. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  5. ^ "2023 Constructors Standings". Formula 1. 2023. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  6. ^ Noble, Jonathan (28 November 2023). "Mercedes changing "every component" for W15 F1 2024 car". Motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 8 December 2023. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  7. ^ Cooper, Adam (10 December 2023). "Hamilton has "full faith" in Mercedes after checking out W15 in wind tunnel". Autosport. Archived from the original on 16 December 2023. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  8. ^ Jogia, Saajan (15 December 2023). "F1 News: Mercedes Technical Director Aims For 2024 Championship With "Ambitious" W15". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on 8 March 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  9. ^ "Mercedes F1 technical director James Allison explains how 2024 W15 car will look different to previous challengers". Sky Sports. 16 January 2024. Archived from the original on 8 March 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  10. ^ Cleeren, Philip (15 January 2024). "Mercedes W15 'feels like a car for the first time in two years' in F1 sim". Motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 27 February 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  11. ^ Mee, Lydia (14 February 2024). "F1 News: Mercedes Unveils Striking W15 Livery Ahead of 2024 Season". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on 24 February 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  12. ^ Hughes, Mark (14 February 2024). "TECH ANALYSIS: The major changes Mercedes have made with their W15 in a bid to catch Red Bull". Formula 1. Archived from the original on 7 April 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  13. ^ Cooper, Adam (14 February 2024). "Mercedes unveils new 2024 F1 car, the W15, at Silverstone". Motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 29 March 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  14. ^ Cooper, Adam (21 February 2024). "F1 Testing Results: Max Verstappen Tops Opening Day of 2024 Pre-season Testing". Motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 29 February 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  15. ^ "New Mercedes 'feels nicer to drive' than previous car as Russell assesses first day of testing". Formula 1. 21 February 2024. Archived from the original on 20 April 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  16. ^ "Sainz sets pace on Day 2 of pre-season testing as he improves on Leclerc's earlier benchmark". Formula 1. 22 February 2024. Archived from the original on 20 April 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  17. ^ "Bullish Hamilton doubles down on Russell's positive comments after first run in Mercedes W15". Formula 1. 22 February 2024. Archived from the original on 20 April 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  18. ^ Hughes, Mark (20 February 2024). "TECH ANALYSIS: Unpicking Mercedes' W15 as the final day of testing began to reveal the pace within the new design". Formula 1. Archived from the original on 20 April 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  19. ^ Bradley, Charles (29 February 2024). "2024 F1 Bahrain GP results: Lewis Hamilton leads practice on Thursday". Motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 20 April 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  20. ^ Galloway, James (1 March 2024). "Bahrain GP Qualifying: Max Verstappen claims first F1 2024 pole ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 20 April 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  21. ^ Kew, Matt; Noble, Jonathan (3 March 2024). "Wolff: Mercedes F1 Engine Issues Cost 0.5S per Lap in Bahrain". Motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 24 March 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  22. ^ "Lewis Hamilton bemoans 'difficult day' after warning and Mercedes fine for impeding during Saudi Arabian GP practice". Sky Sports. 8 March 2024. Archived from the original on 17 March 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  23. ^ Benson, Andrew (8 March 2024). "Saudi Arabian Grand Prix: Max Verstappen on pole with Oliver Bearman to start 11th". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 22 March 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  24. ^ "Lewis Hamilton: Mercedes driver admits F1 team's new 2024 car still needs 'big changes' after Saudi Arabian GP struggle". Sky Sports. 9 March 2024. Archived from the original on 20 April 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  25. ^ Richards, Giles (23 March 2024). "'Messes with the mind': Hamilton hits 14-year low in Australian GP qualifying". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 8 April 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  26. ^ Kew, Matt (24 March 2024). ""Brutal" F1 Australian GP Double Dnf Leaves Wolff Struggling for Positives". Motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 27 March 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  27. ^ Bradley, Charles (6 April 2024). "2024 F1 Japanese GP qualifying results: Verstappen takes pole". Autosport. Archived from the original on 8 April 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  28. ^ "Japanese GP: Lewis Hamilton explains why he let Mercedes team-mate George Russell pass him at Suzuka". Sky Sports. 8 April 2024. Archived from the original on 15 April 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  29. ^ Bradley, Charles (19 April 2024). "2024 F1 Chinese GP sprint qualifying results: Norris takes pole". Autosport. Archived from the original on 19 April 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  30. ^ Benson, Andrew (20 April 2024). "Chinese Grand Prix 2024: Max Verstappen wins sprint race ahead of Lewis Hamilton". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 20 April 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  31. ^ Benson, Andrew (20 April 2024). "Chinese Grand Prix 2024: Max Verstappen on pole with Lewis Hamilton 18th". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 20 April 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  32. ^ "Chinese GP: Mercedes confirm upgrades for Miami after disappointing race in Shanghai for Lewis Hamilton". Sky Sports. 21 April 2024. Archived from the original on 21 April 2024. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
  33. ^ "2024 Constructor Standings". Formula1.com.
  34. ^ "Mercedes F1 W-15". StatsF1.
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