George Russell has acknowledged that the design of Mercedes’ new W15 car has significantly taken into account the preferences of his teammate, Lewis Hamilton.
During F1’s current era of technical regulations, the Silver Arrows have found success elusive, claiming a solitary win with Russell at the 2022 São Paulo Grand Prix.
Despite a comeback to second place in the Constructors’ championship last season, the team has undergone a significant overhaul in design in an attempt to compete with Red Bull.
In the recent Netflix series, Drive to Survive, Hamilton shares an experience of being disregarded by Mercedes regarding car development, a stance that later seemed validated when both the W13 and W14 models did not meet expectations.
This experience may have played a crucial role in Mercedes’ decision to heed the advice of the seven-time world champion for the development of their latest car, the W15.
In comments to the press before the Bahrain Grand Prix, Russell remarked, “I think we hit the ground in a good place but ultimately, there’s only one thing that matters and that’s the lap time.”
“I think Lewis and I have put a huge amount of work into helping steer the team and the direction we want to go in.
“Obviously, with Lewis’ experience, a lot of the car has been designed around his wishes – the car being sat further rearwards than we were last year and the Red Bull-esque sidepods and a slightly different steering rack.
“It is good the team has been listening to that but we need to see if that translates into lap time.”
After admitting that a significant portion of the W15’s design was influenced by Hamilton’s feedback, Russell was questioned about whether any of his own suggestions had been incorporated into the car’s development.
“Of course, I put my trust into the designers and the aerodynamicists. I am not an aerodynamicist and the driver’s job is to maximise the package, what you are given,” said Russell
“So we have been very clear the last two years on the limitations that we are facing, Lewis and I have always had very similar comments in slightly different ways.
“He was talking a lot about the seating position, I was talking about the rear being unstable and ultimately, we have cured that problem we believe, maybe in a number of changes we have done.
“There is never one silver bullet.”
