2023 has been equally uneventful for the German manufacturers, who ended a season with zero Grand Prix wins. But the team will witness a change across the board, as their boss Toto Wolf claims that Mercedes will take a new route in car development this year. When they recently unveiled the W15, F1 tech expert Craig Scarborough gave his opinion on the tricky "legal compliance" of the new car's front wing.
Why is the legitimacy of Mercedes' new front wing being questioned?
With the recent reveal of each team's F1 cars for the 2024 season, fans have discussed every aspect of each challenger. While there are rumors that Red Bull's latest car has attributes that are strikingly similar to those of Mercedes, there is also some discussion that the front wing of Mercedes' latest car is close to illegal.
This is because the front wing allows Lewis Hamilton and George Russell to prevent rival cars from following them. In this way, they do not help their opponents by giving them clean air to increase their speed. The method used by the front wings to prevent rival vehicles from lining up behind the W-15 is known as "outwash." According to the latest F1 rules, the design requirements put forward are first and foremost to prevent washout.
As a result, Mercedes will reintroduce concepts that have been banned in Formula 1. That's why there's been a lot of talk about the legal compliance of the latest Silver Arrow challenger in F1 town. It remains to be seen whether the FIA also considers the W-15 to be problematic and ultimately penalizes Mercedes for it.