Mercedes’ Formula 1 Turnaround: Unpacking the W15’s Transformation

Mercedes started the 2023 Formula 1 season with a W15 that proved to be a tricky beast for both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell. The team struggled to find the right balance, but as they finally unlocked the secrets to improving their car’s performance, their factory went into overdrive to deliver update packages that have dramatically transformed the W15’s performance envelope. The result? Their first non-sprint podium of the season in Canada.

The Journey to Turnaround

The journey to Mercedes’ turnaround began several races prior, with the first major batch of new parts arriving at the Miami Grand Prix. This update package included track-specific modifications to aid the drivers and engineers in finding a more suitable set-up for the challenges posed by the Miami circuit. The package also featured a trimmed front wing, a modification to the angle of the front track rod, and a larger louvred panel for cooling on the side of the engine cover.

Crucially, the floor and edge wing were also fettled as part of a longer-term plan to improve the W15’s performance and ability to deal with fluctuating ride heights. Although the changes to the underfloor were hidden from view, the visible changes on the upper surfaces hinted at a significant amount of work undertaken to improve the geometries beneath.

Continued Optimization

The second stage of updates came at Imola, where Mercedes introduced a new rear wing that saw the team circle back on itself in terms of development. The new rear wing design combined elements from both the Aston Martin and Alpine lineages, featuring a semi-detached tip section layout with an outboard mounting position. This design tweak has given the team more leverage to optimize the geometries of the surrounding surfaces, resulting in an upturn in performance.

In addition to the new rear wing, Mercedes also introduced a new bi-plane beam wing arrangement in Imola, allowing the team to fine-tune the efficiency balance between downforce and drag. The second part of their three-pronged floor update focused on the floor fences, with their alignment and shape slightly altered to take advantage of the floor volume alterations made at the previous round.

The Monaco Upgrade

The update introduced at Monaco was more focused on the floor’s leading edge, with the team following a development seen from the likes of Red Bull in the past. Mercedes used a blister on the side of the chassis to pack out the region and alter the lateral position of where the floor begins. This modification affected the airflow’s passage into the sidepod undercut region and the tunnel interface below.

The new front wing layout, which arrived in Monaco, featured a completely different design compared to the outgoing version. The most noticeable difference was the abandonment of the very slender upper flap at the inboard end of the wing, replaced by a narrower inboard section and a wider moveable section of the two upper flaps. This shift in performance envelope required a redesign of the flaps and alterations to the shape of the nose and the curved central portion of the wing.

Looking Ahead

Technical director James Allison has expressed confidence in Mercedes’ eventual return to the front of the pack, hinting that the team will continue to deliver updates for the W15 over the next few races. “Our challenge is just to keep those upgrades arriving at a pace that the others cannot keep up with…bullying our car to the front by virtue of the effort made by everybody here over the coming weeks and months to get the car so that it can have its Montreal weekend or better at any track that we face in the future.”

With the 2023 Formula 1 calendar heating up, Mercedes is poised to continue their upward trajectory, utilizing their unlocking of the W15’s full potential to challenge for the top spots in the Formula 1 standings.

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