Mercedes has expressed satisfaction with the data it has gathered from its latest W15 challenger. The team states that there is a significant contrast between this season and the previous one in terms of the accurate correlation between the wind tunnel and the track for its 2024 Formula 1 car. After experiencing a winless season in 2011, Mercedes made significant changes to its latest challenger, the W15. Initially, the team had chosen to retain the ‘zeropod’ solution, but due to difficulties during the winter period, they decided to abandon that radical innovation. Mercedes announced during the launch that their main goal was to create a more stable car that eliminated the unpredictable behavior of their previous W14 car. This season’s pre-season test has been smoother, and Technical Director James Allison is pleased with the progress made. He mentioned that they were able to work through various setup changes that would not have been possible once the season started, providing them with valuable insights for the upcoming races. Lewis Hamilton and George Russell both acknowledged that the W15 is more enjoyable to drive compared to its challenging predecessor, although they admitted that Red Bull still remains out of reach. Allison echoed their sentiments and believes that Mercedes is now in a better position to focus on improving performance rather than constantly troubleshooting issues with the car. He acknowledged that they faced significant difficulties last year but emphasized that the current car is much more stable and has shown promising long-run pace. However, he also mentioned that there is still work to be done to improve single lap performance.
Mercedes’ unsuccessful attempt to optimize a narrow sidepod structure with the latest ground effect regulations was thwarted by the inability to replicate positive simulations on the circuit.
However, Allison asserts that the team based in Brackley has overcome these challenges and the W15 has performed in testing as expected.
“The car’s response to changes is a marked improvement compared to the previous year. We can make adjustments and see the car respond in line with our simulations, which gives us a lot of confidence in our ability to make changes in the virtual world and have them work on the track,” he added.
This is an encouraging development for us.”
On the final day, it was noticed that Mercedes had implemented a modified configuration on its front suspension, which Allison explained was a customized test component.
“We were specifically adjusting the anti-dive level on the front suspension,” Allison clarified when questioned about it.
“This type of change cannot be made between runs in free practice sessions. So, it was useful to have the opportunity to test it extensively today and make our decisions based on that compared to yesterday.”
Like Mercedes, Ferrari had also introduced a redesigned car for 2024 in an effort to address their struggles with race pace from the previous season.
However, while Allison acknowledges that his former team appears strong in terms of single lap performance, he believes that Mercedes still holds a slight advantage over the Italian team in race conditions.
When asked about Mercedes’ current position, Allison said, “It’s difficult to say… Red Bull is leading the pack. If you look at their race run from today, it’s quite impressive. But there are a few strong contenders in the chasing group. Ferrari seems to be doing well, and I believe we are as well. Fernando [Alonso, Aston Martin] had a solid run today. So, if I were to guess, those would be the top three contenders, but the exact order is uncertain.”
“I think we may have looked slightly better in the long run, but a bit behind Ferrari in terms of single lap performance. So, a lot will depend on who has a good week leading up to the race.”