Toto Wolff has revealed that early simulator reports indicate that Mercedes’ much-anticipated 2024 contender “feels like a car for the first time in two years”.
After two years of struggling to compete with Red Bull, and with just a single win to its name during that period, Mercedes is working tirelessly to turn around its fortunes.
The Brackley squad’s technical director, James Allison, who returned to the position after a hiatus, is overseeing the development of the W15, a vastly different car that represents a departure from the team’s ill-fated 2022 zero-sidepod design and its W14 successor.
So far, the positive feedback from simulator driver Anthony Davidson suggests that the W15 is a significant step forward for Mercedes.
According to Wolff, Davidson has praised the car's handling and stability, noting that it feels much more like a traditional Formula 1 car compared to its predecessors.
This is undeniably a welcome development for Mercedes which appears on course to head into the new season with a more cohesive and predictable car, offering Lewis Hamilton and George Russell a more stable platform to challenge for victories.
"He was driving Melbourne [in the sim] and he said: 'The car feels like a car for the first time in two years'," Wolff revealed in an interview with The Telegraph.
"Obviously, I would love this to correlate to the track but we've seen in the last two years that this was not always the case."
Only time will tell if Mercedes’ new design will live up to Wolff’s early expectations, but the Austrian insists his team is pulling out the stops and making every effort to develop a machine worthy of Hamilton and Russell’s talent.
"Always believe it's possible," he added. "You cannot start the season with an attitude of 'This is not going to be possible.'
"We saw last year with McLaren what a huge step they made with a single upgrade. We've signed a two-year deal with Lewis, and we owe it to him, to George and to all the team to give it our full attention in 2024 and 2025. I think it's possible."
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