Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes are working hard to ensure the W15 F1 car delivers strong results in 2024.
Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes are working hard to ensure the W15 F1 car delivers strong results in 2024.
The next three months will be crucial for Mercedes and their chances in F1 for the foreseeable future. After two disappointing years, the time had come to produce a car capable of competing for world titles.
There are two seasons left until the rules change in 2026. Given the magnitude of these regulation changes, teams need to prepare these vehicles in advance. Otherwise you risk starting on the back foot. Therefore, the Toto Wolf team will need to make rapid progress with these existing vehicles. If they don’t catch Red Bull this season, their chances in 2025 will be even slimmer. With Lewis Hamilton’s contract expiring at the end of 2025, the seven-time champion is confident of a speedy recovery.
In theory, last year’s campaign allowed the Silver Arrows to learn from their mistakes. By the start of the 2024 season, they expect to have a largely new car based on the common sidepod concept.
James Allison’s return to the team was in many ways an admission that the ‘zero’ philosophy had failed. Lewis Hamilton takes a proactive approach.
After the season, Hamilton reflected on his relationship with the team:
“Now I go to the factory more often and have meetings with all the department heads to encourage and motivate everyone,” he explained.
“I talk to them, I show them where they need to improve and where they need to go. I try to help them stay positive and tell them we can do this.
“I looked closely at other cars and asked a lot of questions to stimulate ideas.”
Hamilton expressed his displeasure last year and never seemed to approve of the team’s direction at the end of 2022. No one doubts that Mercedes suffered huge losses last winter chasing the wrong demand. They basically had to accept a season of damage control. However, it is not clear whether 2024 and 2025 can be saved. In theory, wind tunnel allocation and budget constraints would hold Red Bull back. But Red Bull’s steady progress makes it hard to doubt its development team. So far, our understanding of these F1 cars is superior to that of our competitors. That’s why Mercedes needs to exceed expectations and announce itself as an F1 contender in 2024.
