Mercedes' 2023 challenger brought a higher ride height and black livery, won no races and still gave the team second in the constructors' table.
Mercedes' 2023 Formula One challenger was the W14, driven by Lewis Hamilton and George Russell. It finished the year without a race win, although it helped the team take second in the constructors' table, and its only pole came in Hungary.
The Mercedes W14 was the Formula One car that Mercedes-AMG Petronas ran in the 2023 world championship, with Lewis Hamilton and George Russell at the wheel. It was built as a clear break from its predecessor, the W13, but it never won a race. Even so, the team finished second in the constructors' championship.
What was the Mercedes W14?
The W14, formally the Mercedes-AMG F1 W14 E Performance, was a Formula One racing car designed and built by the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team for the 2023 season. It was driven by Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, and Russell completed his second full season with the team that year.
The car was the team's answer to a difficult 2022 campaign, when the W13 had taken Mercedes out of the title battle. Its design was meant to change the team's direction rather than refine the old car.
A winless car that still gave Mercedes second place in the constructors' table after a season of race-by-race swings.
What changed in the car's design?
The W14 used a higher ride height, aimed at reducing porpoising, and Toto Wolff said it would have different DNA from its predecessor. The W13 had struggled, and the team admitted that excess weight had been a problem on that car.
The car was revealed at its launch on 15 February 2023. Its black livery recalled the W11 of 2020 and the W12 of 2021, but on this car the black finish was about saving weight. Some parts were left as raw carbon, while others were painted matte black.
How did the 2023 season start?
The W14 was less competitive than the team had expected in the opening rounds. In Bahrain Russell started 6th and Hamilton 7th, and Hamilton finished 5th. In Saudi Arabia Russell took 4th and Hamilton 5th.
The best early result came in Australia. Russell led from the start until lap 6, but he retired on lap 18 with a powertrain problem. Hamilton finished 2nd, which gave the team its first podium of the season. Azerbaijan and Miami brought points but no podiums.
What did the mid-season upgrades change?
A major upgrade package arrived at the Monaco Grand Prix after five rounds of struggle. Its biggest change reintroduced the sidepods that had been dropped the season before, and the race at Imola that was meant to come first was cancelled by flooding in the Emilia Romagna region.
The Spanish Grand Prix that followed gave the car its first double podium. Hamilton finished 2nd and Russell 3rd after recovering from 12th on the grid. On 7 June the team's reserve driver Mick Schumacher drove the W14 in a Pirelli tyre test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
The mid-season was uneven. In Canada Hamilton took 3rd while Russell retired, and in Austria Hamilton was 8th after a 10-second penalty. On the radio Wolff told Hamilton that the car is bad, please drive it. Britain brought a return to form, with Hamilton 3rd and Russell 5th.
What happened at Hungary before the summer break?
The W14 took its only pole of the season at the Hungarian Grand Prix on 22 July. It was Hamilton's first pole since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, but the race did not match the qualifying result, and Hamilton finished 4th while Russell took 6th.
Belgium was the last race before the summer break, and it repeated the Hungarian pattern. Hamilton finished 4th and Russell 6th again.
How did the second half of the season unfold?
The Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort was a turning point for the wrong reasons. Russell qualified 3rd, but Hamilton was knocked out in Q2 and started 13th. The team stayed out too long on slicks as rain began to fall, and Hamilton recovered to 6th while Russell finished 17th. Wolff labelled the strategy catastrophic.
Italy brought five-second penalties for both drivers, leaving Russell 5th and Hamilton 6th. In Singapore Russell crashed from 3rd on the last lap, and Hamilton inherited 3rd and joined the podium. Russell blamed a lapse of concentration for a lost win that might have been the team's first of the season.
In Japan the team used team orders, and Hamilton finished 5th with Russell 7th.
What happened in the closing rounds?
The closing races brought more collisions and a disqualification. Hamilton and Russell collided on lap 1 in Qatar, Hamilton was later disqualified in the United States for a skid block violation, and Russell finished 8th in the drivers' championship.
In Qatar Russell and Hamilton qualified 2nd and 3rd, but the two drivers collided on lap 1 of the main race, and Hamilton accepted full responsibility. In the United States Hamilton finished 2nd on track but was disqualified, the first time he had been disqualified since the 2009 Australian Grand Prix. Russell finished 5th.
Mexico City was a better weekend, with Hamilton 2nd and Russell 6th. Sao Paulo was not. Russell retired with an oil temperature issue, and Hamilton finished 8th. Wolff said the W14 doesn't deserve a win, which summed up how inconsistent the car had been across the year.
In Las Vegas Russell collided with Verstappen and took a five-second penalty, finishing 8th in the drivers' championship. Hamilton finished 7th and mathematically secured third place in the championship.
What was decided in Abu Dhabi?
Mercedes went into the final round with a 4-point lead over Ferrari in the constructors' table. Russell finished 3rd and Hamilton 9th, which sealed second place in the constructors' championship for Mercedes, just 3 points ahead of Ferrari.
The battle for second started on the back foot for Mercedes, with Leclerc 2nd on the grid and Russell 4th. Frederik Vesti deputised for Hamilton in the first practice session, and Perez was given a five-second time penalty during the race. Russell's second podium of the season came in the finale, which was the last result the team needed to lock in second place.
How did the W14 race record compare?
| Race | Hamilton | Russell |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | 2nd | Retired on lap 18 |
| Spain | 2nd | 3rd |
| Hungary | 4th | 6th |
| Dutch Grand Prix | 6th | 17th |
| Italy | 6th | 5th |
| United States | Disqualified after 2nd | 5th |
| Mexico City | 2nd | 6th |
| Abu Dhabi | 9th | 3rd |
What is the W14's legacy?
The W14 became Mercedes' first winless car since the 2011 MGP W02, and it closed the 2023 season without a victory. Its only pole came in Hungary, and its best race results were a series of seconds rather than wins.
Hamilton and Russell finished the year in different places in the standings, with Hamilton third and Russell eighth. Hamilton, a seven-time Formula One world champion, drove the car alongside a driver in his second full season with the team.
Toto Wolff was the figure who spoke most openly about the car's performance, from his radio message to Hamilton in Austria to his comment after Sao Paulo. The season ended with Mercedes second in the constructors' table, 3 points ahead of Ferrari.
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