Mercedes have gone back to black 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.
2023 Mercedes F1 car Photo: Mercedes F1
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.
"It looks good. Is she going to be as fast as she looks? I hope so," commented team boss Toto Wolff 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 we are positive, there's excitement. We have the tools to understand, 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.
Meanwhile Mercedes have started contract extension talks with Hamilton and age will not be a factor in the negotiations, Wolff said.
Hamilton, winner of a record 103 grands prix, turned 38 in January and will be starting his 11th season at Mercedes in March.
Wolff said he and Hamilton, whose current contract expires at the end of 2023, were in no hurry to get anything signed.
"We've had a first chat but I don't want to commit to any timeline because it's not important for him nor for us... it runs a full year and we're going to find the right time," said the Austrian.
Wolff batted away a question about age and duration, with Hamilton the second oldest driver on the starting grid after Aston Martin's 41-year-old double champion Fernando Alonso.
"I think the age, 38, plays no role for this next contract if you look at how well top athletes in the world have pushed the boundaries," he said, referencing NFL quarterback Tom Brady who recently retired at 45.
Wolff said previous contract negotiations had not been complex apart from the obvious terms.
The season starts in Bahrain on March 5, with testing at the Sakhir circuit next week.
-Reuters