Mercedes have unveiled their W14 race car which will compete in 2023 F1 season.
Having endured a difficult 2022 season in which they only managed third place in the constructor standings with just one win – courtesy of George Russell in Brazil, Mercedes will be eager to return to winning ways this season with their new W14 car.
Mercedes – like Red Bull and Ferrari – will also benefit from continuity in their driver line-up with Russell once again partnering seven-time champion, Lewis Hamilton who enters this season looking to chase a record-breaking eighth title.
Mick Schumacher meanwhile has joined as reserve driver after he was released by Haas at end of last season, as well as relieved of his Ferrari duties after he was dropped from their Academy.
The W14 has also reverted back to the black livery after having returned to Mercedes’ traditional silver livery last season, after the team previously used a black livery for 2020 & 21 seasons in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Explaining the decision behind their decision to reinstate the black livery, Team Principal, Toto Wolff explained that “weight” played a role in their decision to go for a black “matte carbon” rather than stick with their silver livery.
Speaking ahead of the car’s unveiling, Russell iterated that their “technical learnings” of last season has been put into the W14 car in order to avoid a repeat of last season’s difficulties.
Russell however urged caution as he added: “We need to go out there and see the challenge that we are faced with but the team have put so much hard work into this car, the motivation and fire within the factory is just immense because people just don’t want a repeat of what happened in 2022.”
Hamilton meanwhile is entering his 11th consecutive season with the team after he moved from McLaren in 2013, and described his stability compared to other drivers as something which he is “privileged” to have.
Upon seeing the black livery return as the W14 was unveiled with hope of putting last season’s winless campaign behind him, Hamilton exclaimed “Excited!!”
Russell added that seeing the car unveiled on his 25th birthday felt “such a proud moment,” as he now prepares to give the car a shakedown at Silverstone ahead of next week’s pre-season test in Sakhir, Bahrain.
The 25 year-old Brit proceeded to explain that he doesn’t have any wild celebratory plans for the shakedown, as he said: “I’m just going to go out there today and make sure that the car is working properly and try to set ourselves up for the test next week because that is ultimately where we will find out the car’s true performance.”
Wolff meanwhile is hopeful that Mercedes won’t endure another “difficult season”, having started 2022 “… with a car that was really not good and we tried to figure out what happened and it was difficult at times and also managing own emotions.”
Mercedes however will be without James Vowles behind the scenes following his departure to become Williams’ Team Principal.
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