Mercedes stun with new W14 livery at launch of 2023 F1 car

Mercedes unveiled their W14 car with Lewis Hamilton and George Russell at the launch at Silverstone

Mercedes have gone back to black in a return to their livery of 2020 and 2021 as they unveiled their W14 car ahead of the new Formula 1 season.

Lewis Hamilton, George Russell and Toto Wolff were all present at the launch event at Silverstone on Wednesday morning when the 2023 design revealed an eye-catching return to the past.

The Silver Arrows, after two years with a black livery symbolising their stand against racism in wake of the Black Lives Matter movement, returned to their usual silver colour last year but struggled with porpoising and bouncing amid a new set of technical regulations, and won only one race.

Mercedes have gone back to black with their 2023 car livery (Mercedes-Benz AG)

Yet hope is high 2023 will be different and Hamilton, targeting a record eighth world title in his 11th season with the team, quipped that the car “looks great in black.”

The 38-year-old, who failed to win a Grand Prix last year, added: “We’re all excited to get back in. We’ve done a lot of work in the simulator but we’ve seen this in the works for some time now.

“Before Christmas I saw the car in the wind-tunnel and I’m really excited, I know everyone at the factory has worked so hard for this creation.

“This is the most exciting part of the year. I stand in awe of how amazing the designers are, so much detail! There’s eight billion people and only 20 of us get to do this, so privileged beyond measure. With all the difficulties last year, we’re all anxious to get out there and see where everyone else is too.”

Hamilton, whose contract with Mercedes expires at the end of this season, hinted that a new deal could be on the horizon too.

“I’ve been here a long time,” he said. “I love being part of a team going towards a common goal, I love racing. I always believe I can get better and I love that challenge of having to deep dive and extract more performance.

Lewis Hamilton, George Russell and Toto Wolff were among those present for the launch (Mercedes-Benz AG)

“It’s not the same car every year, it’s always changing. I love that. I’m planning to stay a little bit longer!”

Russell, who won his first F1 race in Brazil last November, also couldn’t hide his eagerness to get going, with both drivers to take the car out on track at Silverstone later on Wednesday.

“I’m really excited to drive the car for the first time,” he said. “You see it come to life and it’s such a proud moment, we both jumped in the car a few days ago for the seat fit.

“We’re going to go out today, make sure it’s working properly ahead of the test next week.”

Wolff added: “It looks good, I’m so glad we’ve gone to the black livery. There’s a lot of excitement at putting it back on the road. When you look at the story where the Silver Arrows came from, the Mercedes was white, overweight, a little bit of our story last year.

“We came back, tried to get the weight off the car and therefore from the paint side, it’s black. We had a black car two years ago and it just came together and it’s wonderful!”

Pre-season testing takes place in Bahrain next week ahead of the first race of the new season - the Bahrain Grand Prix - at the same track on 3-5 March.

The 2023 livery is an eye-catching return to the past (Mercedes-Benz AG)