Back in black: Mercedes launches new F1 car to move past difficult 2022 season

Mercedes went back to black on Wednesday with a sleek new Formula One car they hope will allow Lewis Hamilton and George Russell to fight for wins and titles after a difficult 2022 season.

The team ended an unprecedented run of eight successive constructors’ titles with third place overall last year after wrestling with a bouncing car whose performance was hard to extract.

While Russell celebrated his first Formula One victory in Brazil, seven times world champion Hamilton failed to win a race all season for the first time in a Formula One career that started in 2007.

Team boss Toto Wolff commented that the car looked good at a digital launch from Silverstone where both drivers were due to give the W14 some first shakedown laps.

“We’ve seen the car now and we’re contemplating is she fast or not? Have we cured some of the problems? What are going to be the challenges that we spot on track?” added the Austrian. “And that is a big unknown.

“But I guess there’s more positive, there is excitement, I think we have the tools to understand, we have the tools to grow and develop the car and hopefully give George and Lewis something that works.”

Wolff said the team would be going “all-in” to get back in front and beat champions Red Bull, who have Max Verstappen chasing a third successive drivers’ title, and runners-up Ferrari.

Mercedes ran a silver liveried car last year and the return to the black of 2020 and 2021, tying in with the team’s push for greater diversity, has the additional benefit of saving weight by removing paint and leaving raw carbon fibre.

Hamilton, now 38 and winner of a record 103 grands prix, said the car looked great in black..

The Briton, starting his 11th season with the team and “planning to stay a little bit longer”, said he always believed he could get better.

Russell said the team had learnt a lot last year.

“We’re all here to win, it’s as simple as that,” he added.

“We need to see what the challenges we are facing with, but the team have put so much hard work into this car, the motivation and the fire within the factory is just immense. Because people don’t want to repeat of what happened in 2022. So we’re ready for it, we’re motivated to go out there and fight.”

Germany’s Mick Schumacher has joined the team from Haas as reserve while Mercedes also have some new sponsors with Qualcomm Technologies signing a multi-year deal with its Snapdragon brand, previously at Ferrari.

The season starts in Bahrain on March 5, with testing at the Sakhir circuit next week.