Wikipedia

Mercedes W15

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 position as Technical Director.[2] The car is driven by returning drivers George Russell and 7-time World Drivers' Champion Lewis Hamilton, in his final season with the team.[3][4] The car has achieved three podiums, three fastest laps, and one pole position, with Russell achieving victory at the Austrian Grand Prix.

Mercedes-AMG F1 W15 E Performance
A W15 driven by Hamilton during the Chinese Grand Prix.
CategoryFormula One
Designer(s)
  • James Allison (Technical Director)
  • John Owen (Car Design Director)
  • Jarrod Murphy (Aerodynamics Director)
  • David Nelson (Performance Director)
  • Ashley Way (Chief Engineer)
  • Giacomo Tortora (Engineering Director)
  • Emiliano Giangiulio (Head of Vehicle Performance)
  • Gioacchino Vino (Chief Aerodynamicist)
    Hywel Thomas (Lead Power Unit Designer)
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
First win2024 Austrian Grand Prix
Last event2024 Austrian Grand Prix
RacesWinsPodiumsPolesF/Laps
111313

Background and design

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Mercedes finished second in the 2023 season with the W14, behind Red Bull, finishing 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, weight distribution, and aerodynamics. Wolff added that changing almost all components could give the team its best chance to contend in 2024.[6] Before the off-season break, Hamilton stated the team's mood was "positive", and he checked the team's progress in their wind tunnel.[7][clarification needed]

Technical Director James Allison labelled the W15 project as "ambitious" and stated the team had made a lot of progress over the winter.[8] Allison later clarified that the late introduction of sidepods starting from the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix wasn't the main shortcoming in 2023, and added that the W15 would 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 feels like a car for the first time in two years."[10]

The W15 was unveiled at Silverstone Circuit on 14 February. The car sported a mostly bare carbon fibre and black livery, though with a silver nose cone and their title sponsor Petronas's teal as an accent.[11] The car had a different sidepod shape, and the team switched from pull-rod suspension to push-rod suspension. The team focused on resolving W14's unpredictable axle issue. The cockpit position shifted further backward, something that Hamilton has been vocal about starting from their 2022 car.[12] 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.[13]

Season summary

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Pre-season testing

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Pre-season testing commenced on 21 February with Russell driving the entire day. Russell set the sixth fastest lap for the morning, but ended 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.[16] Hamilton confirmed his teammate's positive reception of the car and acknowledged a productive testing day.[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

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Hamilton's W15 on display at the 2024 Chinese Grand Prix

The season started in Bahrain with the team setting a 1–2 in FP2.[19][importance?] Mercedes had a mixed qualifying session as Russell qualified third while Hamilton was ninth.[20] Russell finished fifth after suffering a power unit heating issue that required him to lift and coast. Hamilton finished seventh after suffering an issue with his seat.[specify] 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 second free practice session 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. Russell and Hamilton qualified seventh and eighth.[22] Hamilton gambled by not pitting due to an early safety car, running as high as third and defending against Oscar Piastri for 20 laps. Russell finished sixth, 40 seconds behind winner Max Verstappen. 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."[23]

In the Australian Grand Prix, Hamilton was knocked out of Q2 in Australia for the first time since 2010. Russell qualified seventh, maintaining his Q3 appearance for the third consecutive race weekend.[24] Hamilton retired early due to a power unit failure while Russell crashed out in a penultimate lap incident with Fernando Alonso. The result made Wolff want "to punch himself in the nose".[25] The race marked the first double DNF for the team since the 2018 Austrian Grand Prix.

In Japan, Hamilton qualified seventh and Russell ninth,[26] but finished ninth and seventh, respectively.[27]

During sprint qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix, Hamilton qualified second, while Russell qualified eleventh.[28] During the sprint race, Hamilton overtook polesitter Lando Norris in the first corner and held the lead for a couple of laps before he was overtaken by Verstappen. Hamilton finished the sprint in second place. Russell finished eighth.[29] Hamilton qualified eighteenth, and Russell qualified eighth.[30] Hamilton recovered to finish ninth and Russell finished sixth.[31]

In the Miami sprint weekend, Russell and Hamilton were knocked out on SQ2 and started the sprint race from 11th and 12th, respectively.[32] In the sprint, Hamilton was penalized by the stewards with a 20-second time penalty for speeding in the pit lane during a Safety Car period, dropping him to 16th. Russell finished the sprint in 12th.[33] Hamilton finished the main race in sixth, with Russell finishing eighth.[34]

European and Canadian rounds

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Mercedes brought upgrades for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix consisting of a revised floor and brake duct, and a new rear and beam wing.[35] Russell qualified sixth and Hamilton eighth.[36] Hamilton took seventh place at the start, but neither driver made further progress. Russell pitted late for a new set of mediums, effectively swapping positions with Hamilton, with the former finishing behind, but with the fastest lap at hand.[37]

In Monaco, in qualifying, Russell out-qualified Hamilton with the former starting from fifth while the latter from seventh.[38] During the race, neither driver was able to improve on their starting positions. Wolff claimed that a miscommunication came when delivering a message to Hamilton to undercut Verstappen. Hamilton set the fastest lap.[39]

In Canada, Russell qualified on pole position, setting an identical time of 1:12:00 with Verstappen. Hamilton qualified seventh.[40] The race started with a wet conditions and Russell held on to the lead from Verstappen at the early stages, but made mistakes that allowed both Verstappen and Norris to catch up. At the end Hamilton was third and on course for a podium finish, before Russell overtook him. Russell's third place was the team's first podium of the season. Hamilton finished fourth with the fastest lap.[41] Hamilton would later criticize his race as one of the worst of his career for failing to capitalize on the car's competitiveness in Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.[42]

Complete Formula One results

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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   Lewis Hamilton 7 9 Ret 9 92 6 6 7F 4F 3 46 196* 4th*
  George Russell 5 6 17† 7 68 8 7F 5 3P 4 14
Reference:[43][44]

* Season still in progress.

References

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  1. ^ a b "F1 W15 E Performance". Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team. Archived from the original on 12 April 2024. 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. ^ 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.
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  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.
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  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. ^ 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.
  23. ^ "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.
  24. ^ 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.
  25. ^ 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.
  26. ^ 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.
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  28. ^ 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.
  29. ^ 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.
  30. ^ 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.
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  33. ^ Kalinauckas, Alex. "F1 Miami GP: Verstappen Wins Sprint From Leclerc; Hamilton Penaliseddate=4 May 2024". Motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 5 May 2024. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  34. ^ "Norris beats Verstappen for breakthrough maiden F1 victory in action-packed Miami Grand Prix". Formula One. 5 May 2024. Archived from the original on 5 May 2024. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  35. ^ Somerfield, Matt; Piola, Giorgio (17 May 2024). "Mercedes Delivers Fresh Batch of F1 Car Upgrades at Imola". Motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 22 May 2024. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  36. ^ "Verstappen grabs unexpected pole position in Imola ahead of Piastri and Norris". Formula 1. 18 May 2024. Archived from the original on 24 May 2024. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  37. ^ "Russell won't 'sulk' over losing position to Hamilton in Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix after 'lonely race' for Mercedes". Formula One. 20 May 2024. Archived from the original on 21 May 2024. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  38. ^ "Piastri seals epic second in Monaco qualifying as Mad Max hits wall in huge Red Bull flop". Fox Sports Australia. Agence France-Presse. 26 May 2024. Archived from the original on 27 May 2024. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  39. ^ Newbold, James; Codling, Stuart (27 May 2024). "Wolff: Mercedes Got Hamilton Undercut Messaging "Completely Wrong" in F1 Monaco GP". Motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 27 May 2024. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  40. ^ "Canadian GP: Mercedes back on F1 pole position as George Russell says result 'start of something' for 2024 season". Sky Sports. 9 June 2024. Archived from the original on 10 June 2024. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  41. ^ Bradley, Charles (10 June 2024). "2024 F1 Canadian GP Results: Verstappen Wins Wild Wet/Dry Race". Motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 12 June 2024. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  42. ^ "Lewis Hamilton: Mercedes driver bemoans 'one of the worst races' of his career at Canadian Grand Prix". Sky Sports. 10 June 2024. Archived from the original on 11 June 2024. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  43. ^ "2024 Constructor Standings". Formula1.com.
  44. ^ "Mercedes F1 W-15". StatsF1.
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