Mercedes launches 2023 W14 F1 car

In spite of what was a highly tricky car last year, extremely fast but only in very specific conditions, Mercedes appears to have persisted with similar bodywork concepts to the W13 – including its skinny sidepods. We’ll wait to see if this is the finished article when it appears on track for the shakedown and at testing in Bahrain, last season the no-sidepod concept didn’t appear until several weeks after the car was first revealed.

What is totally different is the livery, which sees the Silver Arrows go back to black for 2023, per what we saw on the 2020 and 2021 cars, the W11 and W12.

While visually not totally different, there was talk during the launch from Technical Director Mike Elliot of a “totally redesigned front suspension”. “We’ve looked at every single area and looked to improve what we’ve done”. Getting from W13 to W14 has been described as a ‘big challenge’.

The big question of course is “will it bounce?”, as launch presenter and Sky pundit Natalie Pinkham, to which Elliot responded, “we hope not”. The raised ride height regulations designed to bring an end to the almost uncontrollable porpoising seen in 2022, we imagine, can only serve to aid Mercedes in its fight back to regular front-running contention this year.

He continued saying that there were a number of times they were tempted to go back to the drawing board but that they didn’t want to lose the positives the car’s concept brought to the table.

“Our hopes and expectations are always to be capable of fighting for a World Championship. However, our competitors were very strong last year, and we are playing catch-up,” said Team Principal & CEO of the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team, Toto Wolff.

“The entire organisation was pushing flat out last year. When we realised that the car wasn’t where we wanted it to be, we mobilised every reserve we had. That never stopped throughout the season. 

“We are now getting ready to start the next season. I see so much effort, motivation, and energy in the organisation to launch a car that will eventually be competitive enough to fight at the very front of the grid.”