The hidden W15 changes that have helped push major F1 breakthrough

The F1 2024 season has been a wild ride for Mercedes. They began the year as the fourth fastest team, but by the last race in Belgium, they had emerged as the fastest.

This impressive leap in performance is largely due to their exceptional engineering team, who have meticulously transformed the W15 into a powerhouse on the track. Let’s see how the team managed this turnaround and what we can expect from them in the second half of the season.

How Mercedes turned their season around

Since the start of the new generation of cars in 2022, Mercedes struggled with technical upgrades, initially making the wrong choice with the zero-sidepods concept. This mistake cost them valuable time.

Even after switching to a concept similar to other teams, Mercedes didn’t immediately become competitive. This was expected, as changing the car’s philosophy is a difficult and time-consuming process in Formula 1.

Meanwhile, other teams continued to improve their cars, increasing the gap and making it harder for Mercedes to close it. However, a championship team like Mercedes should never be underestimated.

At the beginning of this season, the W15 was the fourth fastest car, often lagging behind Ferrari, McLaren, and especially Red Bull. Their best result before the Monaco GP in May was P5 at the season opener in Bahrain.

Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton’s average finishing position was 7.6, and George Russell’s was 8.8 – poor results for such a big team.

The biggest visible upgrade for the W15 came in Monaco, where only George Russell tested the new front wing. The ‘legality wire’ on the last element was replaced with a more traditional approach.

The original design intended to improve airflow to the sidepods and create a vortex which would help in controlling the front tyres’ rake, but eventually it wasn’t very successful.

The new front wing had a completely different shape, with the second element being notably longer. This change allowed the W15 to generate more downforce, especially in various corners, resulting in better and more consistent track performance.

Another key but less noticed improvement was the continuous changes to the car’s floor during the season, with the most significant one at Imola. These changes were hidden from public view, but they significantly improved the W15’s performance.

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Although Monaco is not a representative track, better results were seen in the next race in Canada where George Russell achieved the team’s first podium of the season, with Hamilton just behind. From that race onward, Mercedes had a renaissance, winning three out of the next six races.

Small W15 changes make a big difference

As mentioned, the main changes were those not visible to the naked eye.

Mercedes struggled with car balance in previous seasons, resulting in inconsistent performance. Now, for the first time since early 2022, Mercedes seems consistently good again.

They solved the core problem with the car’s floor. Remember their bouncing issues at the start of 2022, which took a long time to resolve. Adding suspension issues and other aerodynamic elements, it’s no surprise the car balance was problematic.

However, solving these tasks led engineers to better understand the ground effect concept and create a reliable and consistent floor.

With a solid base, other problems became easier to solve, and the major upgrade in Monaco launched the W15’s performance.

Previous W15 models were good on slow corners and short tracks, which engineers tried to maximise.

Seeing poor results, Mercedes focused on solving the root problems and creating a car that performs well on all tracks – at least, that’s how it seemed from their technical upgrades.

After sacrificing time and effort, success is here, and Mercedes has made the right moves.

What to expect from Mercedes before the end of the season

The next few races will be a real test for Mercedes, giving them a chance to confirm their fantastic form. The next destination is the Netherlands, a track type that should suit them.

A key factor affecting their performance will be temperature, as the W15 performs better in cooler conditions. Potential heat could disrupt things, but we can still expect a fight for the podium and victory.

After the Netherlands, there are two very fast tracks where top speed is crucial – not a strong point for Mercedes.

This season they’ve struggled in this area, but it hasn’t cost them much yet. Interestingly, Mercedes had the second slowest top speeds in Belgium during qualifying, yet they were the fastest on Sunday.

True, Monza and Azerbaijan will penalise this weakness more, so it will be interesting to see how the W15 adapts to these conditions.

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