Mercedes W14
Category | Formula One | ||||||||||
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Constructor | Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team | ||||||||||
Designer(s) |
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Predecessor | Mercedes W13 | ||||||||||
Technical specifications[1] | |||||||||||
Chassis | Moulded carbon fibre and honeycomb composite structure with FIA safety structures | ||||||||||
Suspension (front) | Carbon fibre wishbone and pushrod-activated springs and dampers | ||||||||||
Suspension (rear) | Carbon fibre wishbone and pullrod-activated inboard springs and dampers | ||||||||||
Length | over 5,000 mm (197 in) | ||||||||||
Width | 2,000 mm (79 in) | ||||||||||
Height | 950 mm (37 in) | ||||||||||
Wheelbase | under 3,600 mm (142 in) | ||||||||||
Engine | Mercedes-AMG F1 M14 E Performance 1.6 L (98 cu in) direct injection V6 turbocharged engine limited to 15,000 RPM in a mid-mounted, rear-wheel drive layout | ||||||||||
Electric motor | Motor Generator Unit Kinetic (MGU-K) and thermal energy recovery systems | ||||||||||
Transmission | Mercedes co-developed with Xtrac 8-speed hydraulic actuated semi automatic sequential gearbox, + 1 reverse gear | ||||||||||
Weight | 798 kg (1,759 lb) | ||||||||||
Fuel | Petronas Primax | ||||||||||
Lubricants | Petronas Tutela | ||||||||||
Brakes | Brembo carbon discs and pads with rear brake-by-wire system | ||||||||||
Tyres | with OZ forged magnesium wheels: 18" | ||||||||||
Clutch | ZF carbon fibre reinforced carbon plate | ||||||||||
Competition history | |||||||||||
Notable entrants | Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team | ||||||||||
Notable drivers |
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Debut | 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix | ||||||||||
Last event | 2024 São Paulo Grand Prix | ||||||||||
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The Mercedes-AMG F1 W14 E Performance, commonly referred to as the Mercedes W14, is a Formula One racing car designed and constructed by the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team competing in the 2023 Formula One World Championship.[2] The W14 is driven by 7-time Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, who is racing his second season with the team (not counting his time as reserve driver).[3][4]
Season summary
Early design and opening rounds
Team Principal Toto Wolff claims that the W14 will have "different DNA" to the W14's predecessor,[5] the Mercedes W13, after a challenging 2022 campaign that had seen them out of the World Championship battle. The W14 was designed with a higher ride height with the aim to reduce porpoising. However, the car proved to be less competitive than expected at the start of the season, causing key figures in the Mercedes team to question the effectiveness of the car's concept.
At the launch, held on 15 February 2023, the W14 was revealed to have a black livery, much like its predecessors, the Mercedes F1 W11 of 2020 and the W12 of 2021, but unlike those aforementioned cars, the black livery on the car is not being primarily used to promote diversity, but to save weight after the team admitted to struggling with excess weight with its 2022 car, the W13, which had a traditional silver-painted livery. The black colour was created by leaving some parts as unpainted raw carbon whilst others are painted matte black.[6]
In Bahrain, the season opener of 2023, Russell out-qualified teammate Hamilton by starting 6th, while the latter qualified 7th.[7] In the opening laps, Hamilton was already in 5th place and would finish the race in that position, while Russell inherits Hamilton's starting position with the Aston Martin car of Lance Stroll separating them.[8] In Saudi Arabia, Mercedes had a mixed qualifying session with Russell qualified 4th, while Hamilton qualified in a frustrating 8th place.[9] During the race, Hamilton would finish in 5th, while Russell finished 4th.[10] In Australia, the W14 looked to be competitive around Albert Park with Russell and Hamilton achieving 2nd and 3rd in qualifying.[11] During the race, Russell made an excellent start and inherits the lead from Verstappen, hanging on to it until lap 6 until he pitted with teammate Hamilton inheriting the lead. Verstappen would eventually overtake Hamilton for the lead on lap 12. Russell's race was cut short with a powertrain problem as he retired from the race on lap 18. Hamilton eventually finished the race in 2nd place, achieving W14 and the team's first podium finish of the season.[12] Both Mercedes drivers would finish on the points for the next two races in Azerbaijan and Miami. But neither of the drivers finished on the podium in the aforementioned races.[13][14]
Mid-season: Introducing sidepods
After struggling to match the frontrunning pace of Red Bull Racing and Aston Martin in the first five rounds of the season a major upgrade package was introduced for the Monaco Grand Prix, the team having initially planned to run the upgrades for the first time at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola - but this race was ultimately cancelled due to flooding in the Emilia Romagna region.[15] The upgrades would make their debut as planned at the Monaco Grand Prix; the biggest change within the upgrade reintroduced the sidepods ditched on the previous season's car.[16][17][18] The following weekend at the Spanish Grand Prix, the car achieved its first double podium finish with Hamilton finishing in 2nd and Russell in 3rd, after the latter recovered from 12th.[19] On 7 June, the team's reserve driver, Mick Schumacher drove the W14 for Pirelli tyre test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.[20]
In Canada, Hamilton continued his podium finish streak by finishing 3rd, while Russell had to retire.[21] In Austria, the Mercedes duo endured a difficult weekend with Russell finishing 7th, and Hamilton in 8th after being handed a 10-second time penalty for exceeding track limits by the stewards.[22] Hamilton could be found frustrated with the W14 apparent lack of performance. Toto Wolff, Mercedes' Team Principal who rarely spoke to the drivers during the race promptly told Hamilton on the radio that "the car is bad, please drive it."[23]
However, the Mercedes duo bounced back in their home turf in the British Grand Prix, with Hamilton again finishing 3rd and Russell in 5th.[24] On 22 July, the W14 achieved its first pole position of the season - and Lewis Hamilton's first since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - at the Hungarian Grand Prix.[25][26] However during the race, Hamilton immediately lost out on the lead to Verstappen. He would end up finishing outside the podium in 4th, while Russell finished in 6th.[27] Belgium was the last race before the season headed into summer break. The Mercedes duo had a repeat of their results from Hungary, with Hamilton and Russell once again finishing 4th and 6th.[28]
Post-summer break
After the summer break, the season resumed with the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort. George Russell qualified 3rd. However, Hamilton was knocked out in Q2 after being impeded by Yuki Tsunoda of AlphaTauri, meaning he started the race from 13th on the grid.[29] During the race itself, Mercedes made the fatal mistake of staying out too long on the slicks, while it started to rain. In the end, Hamilton recovered from 13th to finish in 6th, while Russell finished in a frustrating 17th place.[30] Team principal Wolff, labeled the strategy they made as "catastrophic."[31]
A week later in Italy, Hamilton was outqualified by Russell who started 4th, while Hamilton himself started in 8th.[32] During the race, both Mercedes drivers were penalized by the stewards who awarded both of them with five-second time penalties: Russell for skipping the first chicane after rejoining the track from his pit stop, and Hamilton for his collision with the McLaren of Oscar Piastri. They ended up finishing the race with Russell in 5th, and Hamilton in 6th.[33]
In Singapore, the Mercedes cars were proven to be competitive around the streets of Marina Bay. Russell out-qualified Hamilton for the 3rd consecutive time, with the former starting from 2nd, while the latter starts from 5th.[34] With the Red Bull cars starting further down on the grid, the Mercedes cars continue to pile pressure on Lando Norris in the McLaren and the race leader, Carlos Sainz in the Ferrari for the majority of the race. Mid-way through the race, Mercedes opted to pit Russell and Hamilton for fresh medium tires after a late VSC caused by Esteban Ocon who retired due to a gearbox issue. However, on the last lap, Russell crashed out from 3rd and ended his race on the barriers in Turn 10. Hamilton inherited the 3rd position and joined Sainz and Norris on the podium.[35] Russell attributed that a "millimeter lapse of concentration cost the team's potential first victory of the season."[36]
In Japan, both Mercedes drivers were looking to replicate their strong performance in Singapore, but both cars could only lock out the fourth row, with 7th placed Hamilton over a second off the pole-sitter, Verstappen. Hamilton cited the concept of the W14 as the reason why the team struggled massively in qualifying.[37] During the race, team orders were implemented after Hamilton and Russell almost collided to one another, the team instructed Russell to let Hamilton by. Hamilton ended up finishing 5th, with Russell finishing 7th.[38]
Closing rounds: Qatar to Abu Dhabi
In Qatar, Russell and Hamilton qualified 2nd and 3rd in qualifying for Sunday's main race.[39] For the sprint shootout session, Russell qualified 4th, while Hamilton endured a difficult session, starting from 12th for the sprint race.[40] For the sprint race itself, Hamilton made the most from the incident involving Esteban Ocon, Sergio Pérez, Nico Hülkenberg and climbed up to 5th after starting from 12th to finish behind teammate Russell in 4th.[41] During the main race, Hamilton attempted to go around the outside of his teammate but crashed into each other in the first corner in lap 1, effectively ending Hamilton's race. Russell had to pit for a new front wing in the aftermath of the incident. Russell would recover to finish the race in 4th.[42] Following the incident, Hamilton accepted full responsibility for the crash with Russell. Both drivers claimed the Qatar incident did not damage their relationship.[43]
Complete Formula One results
(key)
Year | Entrant | Power unit | Tyres | Driver name | Grands Prix | Points | WCC pos. | |||||||||||||||||||||
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BHR | SAU | AUS | AZE | MIA | MON | ESP | CAN | AUT | GBR | HUN | BEL | NED | ITA | SIN | JPN | QAT | USA | MXC | SAP | LVG | ABU | |||||||
2023 | Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team | Mercedes-AMG F1 M14 | P | Lewis Hamilton | 5 | 5 | 2 | 67 | 6 | 4F | 2 | 3 | 8 | 3 | 4P | 47 F | 6 | 6 | 3F | 5 | Ret5 | DSQ2 | 2F | 87 | 7 | 9 | 382* | 4th* |
George Russell | 7 | 4 | Ret | 84 F | 4 | 5 | 3 | Ret | 78 | 5 | 6 | 68 | 17 | 5 | 16† | 7 | 44 | 58 | 6 | Ret4 | 8 | 3 | ||||||
Reference:[44][45] |
* Season still in progress.
References
- ^ "F1 W14 E Performance". www.mercedesamgf1.com. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
- ^ "W14 First Words: Firing Up Our 2023 Mercedes-AMG F1 Car!". MercedesAMGF1.com. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
- ^ "F1 2023 driver line-up: Who is confirmed for next season's grid?". PlanetF1. 2022-10-22. Retrieved 2022-10-27.
- ^ "2023 FIA Formula One World Championship – Entry List". Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 15 December 2022. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
- ^ "Wolff: "The DNA of the car is going to change for next year"". www.gpblog.com. Retrieved 2022-10-27.
- ^ Noble, Jonathan. "Mercedes black livery switch driven by F1 weight saving. Compared to the W13 the 14 also features a revised cooling system, suspension geometry changes and a revised aerodynamic package to improve handling". www.motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
- ^ Morlidge, Matt (5 March 2023). "Bahrain GP Qualifying: Max Verstappen takes opening F1 2023 pole as Red Bull oust Ferrari and Fernando Alonso". Sky Sports. Bahrain. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
- ^ Bradley, Charles (6 March 2023). "F1 race results: Max Verstappen wins 2023 Bahrain GP, Alonso stars". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ "Perez storms to pole for Saudi Arabian GP as Verstappen suffers dramatic Q2 exit". Formula 1. 18 March 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
- ^ "Hamilton takes 'positives' for Mercedes from Saudi Arabia". Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. AFP. 19 March 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023 – via France 24.
- ^ Bradley, Charles (1 April 2023). "F1 qualifying results: Max Verstappen takes Australian GP pole". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
- ^ Boxall-Legge, James (3 April 2023). "10 things we learned from the 2023 Australian Grand Prix". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
- ^ "FORMULA 1 AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX 2023 - RACE RESULT". Formula 1. 30 April 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
- ^ "FORMULA 1 CRYPTO.COM MIAMI GRAND PRIX 2023 - RACE RESULT". Formula 1. 7 May 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
- ^ Noble, Jonathan (18 May 2023). "Mercedes sticks to F1 upgrade plan for Monaco GP". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
- ^ Noble, Jonathan (25 May 2023). "First images of Mercedes W14 F1 new upgrades appear". Autosport.com.
- ^ Somerfield, Matt (25 May 2023). "The key details behind Mercedes' W14 F1 upgrade in Monaco". Autosport.com.
- ^ Noble, Jonathan (26 May 2023). "Mercedes explains the six upgrades on its W14 F1 car". Autosport.com.
- ^ Cleeren, Filip (4 June 2023). "Russell: Double F1 podium "a sign of things to come" for Mercedes". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
- ^ "WATCH: Schumacher returns to F1 action with first run in Mercedes' W14". Formula 1. 7 June 2023. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
- ^ "Verstappen wins Canadian GP to claim Red Bull's 100th victory and equal Senna's tally". Formula 1. 18 June 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ "Verstappen beats Leclerc for victory in Austria to make it five wins in a row". Formula 1. 2 July 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ Edmondson, Laurence (2 July 2023). "Toto Wolff explains stern Austrian GP radio message to Lewis Hamilton". ESPN. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ "Verstappen heads local heroes Norris and Hamilton to claim British Grand Prix win". Formula 1. 9 July 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ Bradley, Charles (22 July 2023). "F1 qualifying results: Lewis Hamilton takes Hungarian GP pole". Motorsport.com.
- ^ Boxall-Legge, Jake (22 July 2023). "F1 Hungarian GP: Hamilton snatches pole from Verstappen by 0.003s". Motorsport.com.
- ^ "Verstappen dominates Hungarian GP to give Red Bull a record 12th successive win". 23 July 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ Edmondson, Laurence (31 July 2023). "Max Verstappen beats Sergio Perez, extends win streak to eight". ESPN. Spa-Francorchamps. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
- ^ "Verstappen tops dramatic wet-dry Zandvoort qualifying to extend run of Dutch GP poles". Formula 1. 26 August 2023. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
- ^ "Verstappen overcomes wet-weather chaos to make it a hat-trick of Dutch GP wins and equal Vettel's victory record". Formula 1. 27 August 2023. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
- ^ Cleeren, Filip (28 August 2023). "Wolff slams "catastrophic" F1 Dutch GP strategy from "subpar" Mercedes". Autosport. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
- ^ Mitchell-Mahn, Scott (2 September 2023). "BACK TO 'BASICS' – WHY RUSSELL'S OUTQUALIFYING HAMILTON AGAIN". The Race. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- ^ Edmondson, Laurence (3 September 2023). "Verstappen victory breaks record as Red Bull beats Ferrari to one-two". ESPN. Monza. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- ^ Bradley, Charles (17 September 2023). "2023 F1 Singapore GP qualifying results: Carlos Sainz takes pole". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- ^ Bradley, Charles (18 September 2023). "2023 F1 Singapore GP results: Carlos Sainz wins thrilling race". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- ^ Galloway, James (18 September 2023). "Singapore GP: George Russell sorry to Mercedes for 'millimetre lapse of concentration' in final-lap crash". Sky Sports. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- ^ Larkam, Lewis (23 September 2023). "Lewis Hamilton blames Mercedes concept for F1 Japanese GP struggles and calls for 2024 changes". Crash.net. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
- ^ "Verstappen dominates for Japanese GP victory as Red Bull secure back-to-back constructors' titles". Formula 1. 24 September 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
- ^ "Max on brink of title as McLaren duo's best times wiped in chaotic Qatar GP qualifying". Fox Sports Australia. AFP. 7 October 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2023 – via Fox Sports.
- ^ McDonagh, Conor (7 October 2023). "F1 Qatar Grand Prix 2023 - Sprint Shootout Results". Crash.net. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
- ^ Kalinauckas, Alex (7 October 2023). "F1 Qatar GP: Verstappen seals third world title as Piastri wins sprint". Autosport. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
- ^ "Verstappen cruises to Qatar GP victory over Piastri and Norris after Mercedes drivers collide". Formula 1. 8 October 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
- ^ Benson, Andrew (8 October 2023). "Lewis Hamilton accepts blame for Qatar Grand Prix crash with George Russell". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
- ^ "2023 Constructor Standings". Formula1.com. 5 March 2023. Retrieved 2022-03-05.
- ^ "Mercedes F1 W-14". StatsF1. 5 March 2023. Retrieved 2022-03-05.
External links
- Official website Archived 2022-04-17 at the Wayback Machine