Mercedes Weight Saving On W14 Could Lead To 3 Tenths Per Lap Saving Alone

It looks as though Mercedes is making huge leaps in performance as they remove weight from the W14.

Today, Mercedes released its 2023 contender, the W14. And with it comes a number of changes. We've already identified a few loop holes that the Brackley-based team have exploited, but now it's been estimated just how much weight the lack of paint has saved.

The team needed a major change after the difficult 2022, and one way it's refreshed itself is by returning to the black livery that was so popular in previous years. Gone is the silver that now leaves a bad taste in fans' mouths, to be replaced by bare carbon fibre and only a tiny amount of matte black paint. 

This is a theme we've seen in almost all of the car reveals so far this year, but Mercedes has certainly made the most of it. 

It's been estimated by Corrier Della Sera that this weight saving equates to up to a surprising 2kg. With the additional weight-saving techniques Mercedes has implemented such as a revised suspension system, it's also estimated that the W14 will find an extra 3 tenths per lap from this lower weight alone.

Toto Wolff told the press the following:

"I want to say we will be competitive but on the other side, we need to stay humble and be realistic.

"The midway around is that we will be competitive, we just don't know when. We are on the slope that we want to be in terms of our performance. But then you don't know where the other ones are. Humility is important.

"We have always tried to be humble."

You can read about our thoughts on the W14's aerodynamics here. 

We're very excited to see how the W14 performs towards the end of this month at pre-season testing.