The 2023 cars are taking their first steps, making their first whimpers before flying to Bahrain next week for pre-season testing. The new arrival at Mercedes, the W14 took to the track immediately after this morning's presentation at Silverstone. During the shakedown, however, the single-seater would have run into, according to some rumors, in engine problems.
Not exactly stellar start
The W14 was the penultimate single-seater to be unveiled. In fact, all that is missing is the appeal the Alpine, which he will present tomorrow and which, however, has already carried out the first try on the track. The W14, back to black like the winning cars of the 2020-2021 two-year period, embodies the team's dreams and desire for revenge, deeply burned after last season. This is also demonstrated by the choice to continue with the ambitious design philosophy of the W13, profoundly revised during the season. Changes that bore fruit, considering that the first and only victory of the star's team arrived right at the end of the season - in Brazil.
The Brakley team decided to put the W14 on the track immediately after the presentation, and it did so with just one driver: George Russell. A bit like done by Ferrari which delighted its fans by making them spectators – some live and some connected via the internet – of the first 15 km demo event of the SF-23 driven by Charles Leclerc. Fortunately, everything went smoothly at Fiorano. However, the same cannot be said for Mercedes, which, as revealed by Virtutas de Goma, it would have had ignition problems, due to incorrect assembly between power unit and frame. A problem that can be solved, but soon, considering the busy schedule that will continue with tomorrow's filming day.
Russell: “positive feelings”
George talked about the sensations he felt after the shakedown, without however mentioning the engine problem, not even reported by the team. "It was a quiet day, but it's hard to tell where we areRussell said. “We came out of that shakedown last year not with much thought, to be honest, because we were so compromised by the weather, but need take today's results with a pinch of salt, make sure there are no big problems e to make sure that the machine works well in Bahrain. It will be the real test bench. As much as we want to get the most out of it, a day like today has no meaning".
It is not yet clear whether the W14 suffers from the dreaded porpoising which afflicted Mercedes in the previous season. This is because the set-ups are not yet tested at this stage, and because the porpoising phenomenon occurs at high speeds, not reached by the pilots. Russell himself explained to the media that on the porpoising issue “We'll see how next week goes".
Source statements: F1
