Mercedes reveal W15 F1 challenger

Mercedes has revealed the car it hopes will return it to regular victories in the upcoming F1 season during a launch at Silverstone.

The Silver Arrows has lost its monopoly over the sport in the past two seasons since the dawn of new technical regulations, with the W13 and W14 cars underperforming in comparison to rivals Red Bull.

In that time, only one victory has been picked up, despite changes made to the car last season which saw the abolishment of the radical zeropod concept at the Monaco Grand Prix.

To try and turn its fortunes around, big changes had been touted for the new W15 and in a digital launch event, the covers have been taken off with Team Principal Toto Wolff in attendance along with drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.

The livery is largely black, as Mercedes has often used in recent years but also features a silver front section of the car.

Lewis Hamilton, who enters his final season with Mercedes before joining Ferrari, said: “I know what this team is capable of. I am incredibly grateful for the work of every single person in this team.

“Every time you're in the factory, you can see the sheer drive and determination of everyone. We are all mega-motivated for the year ahead and will be giving it everything we've got on the journey ahead."

Russell added: "We made progress with some of the nastier characteristics of the W14 throughout last year. But we still had a narrow operating window and, once we were outside of that, the car was difficult to drive.

“If we can continue to widen the operating window of the car, that will provide confidence for us as a drivers and from there, lap time is easier to find.”