The Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 team, that of the seven-time English world champion Lewis Hamilton and his compatriot George Russell, presented Silverstone (England, United Kingdom) the W14 E Performance, their new single-seater, with which they want to "fight again for the World Championship", according to his team leader, the Austrian Toto Wolff.
The German team has been the penultimate team to reveal the look of its new Formula 1 car for the 2023 season, the W14 that will be driven by Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.
The single-seater of the German team for the 2023 Formula 1 season, was presented with a completely black decoration.
Hamilton and Russell will form a couple again for the second year in a row, with the German Mick Schumacher as the third driver of a team that, after having set the milestone of winning the previous eight, failed to score last year in the Constructors' World Championship, which was led Red Bull, a team for which the Dutchman Max Verstappen revalidated the drivers' title.
"Our hopes and expectations are always to be able to fight for a World Cup. However, our competitors were very strong last year and we are catching up," said Wolff, referring to last season, in which the German team finished third by teams and could only celebrate one victory: the one achieved by Russell -who turned 25 this Wednesday and who finished fourth in the contest- in Sao Paulo (Brazil).
"Running in front requires resilience, teamwork and determination. We face every challenge, we put the team first and we will leave no stone unturned in the chase for every millisecond," added the Viennese manager.
"Last year was difficult, but we learned a lot. I hope 2023 proves that and we can improve the car package. We were never able to unlock the car and put all its downforce on the ground, although we were improving throughout the season." Wolff explained about a course in which the seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton - who the previous year had only given up the throne on the last lap of the last race (in Abu Dhabi) - did not achieve a single victory, for the first time since he has run in the premier class, in which he made his debut in 2007.
Hamilton, 38, also expressed optimism, commenting that after being "part of this team for over a decade," everyone's efforts "never fail to" amaze him.
"Seeing the evolution of the car and the changes that have been made is fascinating. We have redesigned, optimized and innovated many parts of the car and that is impressive. And I love the new livery!" said the spectacular and eccentric Stevenage champion, who owns the historical records for victories and podiums in F1 (103, in both cases).
"I'm looking forward to competing again. I feel calm, energized and my concentration sharpened. I'm ready to do whatever it takes to win," Hamilton emphasized.
Source images: Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team. / The Official Home of Formula 1® Racing / Twitter Scuderia Ferrari F1
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