Mercedes goes black: Lewis Hamilton's new Formula 1 weapon is called the W14, and yes, it has sidepods

The penultimate Formula 1 car for the 2023 season has already been unveiled. Mercedes presented their new W14 , with which they intend to recover the scepter of Formula 1 which they lost to Red Bull two years ago. A great unknown existed around the W14: will it have pontoons? Well, we already know the answer.

At least in this car they showed, it looks like Mercedes is keen on reclaiming the sidepods. They are still the smallest on the grid, but the W14 at least enlarges the air intake following  a line that is a bit reminiscent of Red Bull,  while keeping its own style.

Mercedes recovers the pontoons without losing its style

As for the decoration, we see a big change compared to last year. In 2022 Mercedes got their traditional money back, but they gave it up after just a year. The W14 is black again , perhaps in an effort to lighten the weight of the car by stripping it of the paint, a line much followed lately.

After winning at least one World Cup for eight consecutive years,  Mercedes went a blank in 2022  . Only George Russell's victory in Brazil prevented Mercedes' drought from being complete, even in wins. A debacle that those of Brackley intend to solve with this revolutionary W14.

Internally, it remains to be seen what roles their pilots share. Although  Lewis Hamilton should be Mercedes' big star  , let's not forget that Russell beat him last season on points. In 2022 they were respected, but if the W14 is competitive, maybe there could be an internal battle in 2023.

Russell completed a very solid 2022 season , with almost no errors, fishing for podiums with some consistency and scoring the first victory of his life in Formula 1. For the young promise of the British crown, courtesy Lando Norris, the next step should be to fight for the championship title.

By the way, who knows if we could face  Lewis Hamilton's final season in Formula 1  . At 38, the seven-time champion ends his contract with Mercedes at the end of 2023, and finding an uncompetitive car could mean the end of his career in the world championship. We'll see what happens.

Join us LIVE as we unveil our 2023 challenger, the Mercedes-AMG F1 W14 E PERFORMANCE! ???? https://t.co/mgCKknmzcD

— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1)  February 15, 2023

The final Formula 1 presentation for 2023 will take place tomorrow, Thursday, when  Alpine unveils its A523  , now without Fernando Alonso.