Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 team unveiled their 2024 F1 season challenger, W15, on Wednesday. The team reverted back to its iconic silver livery and incorporated it with black carbon. The sidepods’ size also looked unusual. But regardless, the zeropod concept was visibly dropped, which is considered an encouraging sign.
At the launch event, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff revealed how he expects a positive season on the track this season. The team has made substantial development over the winter. And he is confident that W15 is quicker than it’s predecessor. However, the front wing’s asymmetrical design has caught fans’ attention as many expect FIA intervention.
Mercedes Front Wing Flap Design Attracts Unwanted Attention!
The unveiling of the new Mercedes 2024 season challenger, W15, has sparked intrigue and speculation in the motorsport world. The team, desperate to bounce back after a horror 2023 season, unveiled their W15 yesterday at a team event. Later, the Silver Arrows took it out at Silverstone for a shakedown. Meanwhile, after the images of the car went viral on social media, some eagle-eyed observers noted a potential legality trick related to the front-wing design. The non-movable part on the top of the wing has a thin strip of slender elements. That is used to clear FIA legalities as the governing body allows a maximum of four closed sections across the wing’s span. However, the area of concern is the upper flap.
The outboard portion of the upper flap appears to have a conventional chord. However, as per new regulations, the flap should run up on the side of the inboard metal adjuster. But in W15, the flap tapers are raised to a point above. Notably, these types of designs were prominent during the previous regulations. Also, Matt Somerfield of Autosport doubts if these flaps will pass the FIA regulations. However, Matt also suspects the front wing design is a smokescreen used by Silver Arrows to distract the rivals from other areas of concern. That being said, in the past, Formula 1 teams have occasionally pushed the boundaries of the regulations, leading to controversy and debate over the legality of certain design elements. Thus, it’s highly likely that the Brackley-based team could escape this minor adjustment as the new season inches closer.
James Allison Lists W15’s Key Areas Of Improvement!
At the W15 launch event, Chief Technical Officer James Allison revealed the 2024 F1 season challenger’s key areas of improvement. Allison stated that engineers tried to make the W15 a less draggy car while adding extra performance around the corners. Not only that, but the Silver Arrows also focused on improving the DRS effect and pit stop performance.
James Allison explained that Mercedes has historically been better at delivering pit stops in a repeatable time. However, in recent years, the Silver Arrows have fallen three to four-tenths slower than the best teams. Thus, that area has been improved in the brand-new W15 as the team gears up for a new challenge this 2024 F1 season.
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