Toto Wolff has explained that Mercedes will change “almost every component” in their design path for the W15 this winter. This will come as great news to Lewis Hamilton, who had been looking forward to seeing the back of the team’s 2023 challenger for weeks ahead of the season finale in Abu Dhabi.
Mercedes left the final race of the campaign with a small victory to celebrate as George Russell’s second podium of the season ensured that the Silver Arrows pipped Ferrari to second place in the Constructors’ Championship by a margin of just three points.
However, in the larger picture, this achievement will mean very little to the eight-time champions. They finished 451 points behind Red Bull at the top of the standings with the Austrian constructor winning 21 of the 22 Grands Prix and never really looked able to challenge for victory, spare for at the Circuit of the Americas.
Discussing the team’s next steps at the post-season test in Abu Dhabi, Wolff said: “We are changing the concept. We are completely moving away from how we laid out the chassis, the weight distribution, the airflow.
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“I mean, literally, there’s almost every component that’s being changed because only by doing that, I think we have a chance. We could get it wrong also. So, between not gaining what we expect, catching up and making a big step and competing in the front, everything is possible.”
This news will come as a delight to Hamilton, who was delighted to be parting ways with the W14 after a miserable end to the campaign. The seven-time world champion endured a messy weekend in Las Vegas in the penultimate round before struggling on the fringes of the points in Abu Dhabi.
Asked at the Yas Marina Circuit whether or not he was happy to be saying goodbye to Mercedes’ 2023 challenger, Hamilton responded: “I wouldn’t say that I’m relieved. I’m definitely happy it’s nearly over.
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“It’s more inconsistent than ever before. It’s just up and down. Per corner – from the moment you hit the brakes, the moment you turn to the moment you hit the apex, it’s massively out of balance and very hard to predict what’s going to happen.”
The seven-time world champion finished third in the Drivers’ Championship standings behind long-time rival Max Verstappen and his Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez. Hamilton still holds hopes of claiming a record-breaking eighth title, but his chances of doing so are tied to the fate of the W15.
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