This resulted in a large-scale update arriving in Monaco with further adaptations being implemented throughout the remainder of the season.
Let’s take a detailed look at some of the car’s finer details in full, and how that big development programme was rolled out to overtake Ferrari for second place in the Constructors’ Championship.
A comparison of the W13 and W14, showing how the zeropod’s inlet had been pushed back for 2023.
A look at the front brake assembly without the drum in place gives us a glimpse of the collar used to hold some of the internal fairings in place.
A close up of the forward portion of the W14’s floor, including the mini-scroll section with a row of vortex generators housed on it and a perforated Gurney arrangement above it, while aft of that is the taller scroll section of the edge wing with a divisible strake on the surface.
Beneath the covers of the W14 we’re able to see how the radiators and ancillaries are package around the power unit and sidepods.
The back of the Mercedes steering wheel shows a single wishbone paddle gearshift lever at the top and an elongated single paddle clutch arm runs across the bottom, which is fitted with a finger socket to help modulate the release.
Mercedes continued to employ a variation of the open-ended front wing flap and endplate juncture in 2023, although it also included two new winglets above the rear elements.
Having pushed the zeropod’s inlet further back, the side impact spar (SIS) wing fairing became more of an independent surface.
The W14’s rear brake assembly without the drum in place allows us to see how the caliper is fed cool air by its fairing.
Another view of the scrolled edge wing design, which notably has metal support brackets that are positioned and shaped to improve their aerodynamic output.
A close up of the SIS fairing, the wing mirror, vortex generators and slatted mirror stalk.
A look at the W14’s diffuser, with the mouse house visible in the sidewall and the trumpeted upper corner. Also note the stepped lower edge on the rear brake duct winglet.
A close up of the bib wing, with the flexible material used to allow that section to move up and down when it comes into contact is also a notable feature.
A massive update arrived at the Monaco Grand Prix, which not only resulted in the W14 having a more ‘traditional’ sidepod design thereafter but also saw the upper wishbone realigned.
The lead arm on the upper wishbone was raised (inset), while a new winglet could be found on the W14’s floor (blue arrow) and the SIS fairing’s hanging vane was also modified (red arrow).
The floor edge wing was also modified, with additional strakes added to the scrolled section's surface.
Small cooling gills were also added to the sidepod’s shoulder when required.
An off for Lewis Hamilton at the Monaco Grand Prix led to the W14 being craned away from the circuit and provided us with a rare glimpse of the underfloor, which is full of complex geometries.
A much larger cooling gill panel was installed for the Spanish Grand Prix to help keep temperatures under control.
A rare glimpse of the nose and front wing assembly from beneath.
A new front wing arrived at the British Grand Prix and featured revisions to the mainplane and wing tips in the outer section, a more cambered endplate design and a more aerodynamically shaped slot gap separator bracket.
A top-down overview of the new front wing design, with most of the details changed at the outboard end of the wing.
Mercedes introduced an open-ended endplate variant at the Hungarian Grand Prix, altering the size and shape of the rear endplate cutout.
The lead arm of the front suspension’s upper wishbone was modified again for Hungary, with a dipped profile added to the fairing (red arrow).
The vortex generating fins and mirror stalk slat were removed for the Belgian Grand Prix to reduce drag, while the scrolled section of the edge wing saw the strakes attached to it reduced from three to two.
Mercedes tried different rear wing configurations at the Belgian Grand Prix to find the right balance for their drivers, with an infill panel for the endplate and no Gurney on the trailing edge of the upper flap employed on George Russell’s car, while Hamilton’s car was set up with a lower downforce wing, endplate cutout and a Gurney on the trailing edge.
The scrolled section of the edge wing at the Dutch Grand Prix, with just two strakes dividing the surface.
A close up of the DRS mechanism on the W14.
A single element beam wing and the endplate infill panels were paired with a lower downforce rear wing configuration for the Italian Grand Prix.
This shot of the W14 without the bodywork in place gives a chance to see the internal stays used to prevent the floor from flexing.
Mercedes added a swage line to the lower half of its rear wing endplate at the Japanese Grand Prix.
Mercedes revised the scrolled section of the edge wing once again, at the United States Grand Prix, with tufts also employed during practice to capture some real-world information on the new parts performance.
There were also changes to the leading edge of the floor and the roof of the tunnel thereafter.
A close up of the open-ended and metal supported rear wing tip section on the W14.
Here’s the list of the components that Mercedes listed as having changed in the car presentation document prior to each race.
- Saudi Arabia
- Rear wing
- Floor fences
- Australia
- Edge wing strakes to underside
- Azerbaijan
- RWEP
- FBD exit increase
- RBD fence (lower section reduced)
- Front suspension fairing (lower wishbone)
- Miami
- N/A
- Monaco
- Front suspension (overhaul in position)
- Floor fences
- Sidepods
- Engine cover
- Rear wing
- RBD winglets
- Spain
- Mirror vanes removed
- Diffuser
- Canada
- Removed sidepod wing, winglet
- Austria
- N/A
- Great Britain
- Front wing
- FWEP and diveplane
- Hungary
- FWEP diveplane lifted
- Front suspension fairing
- Rear wing
- Belgium
- Sidepod inlet
- Engine cover (sideview coke tube chamber increased)
- Underfloor volume distribution
- Rear wing
- Netherlands
- Floor edge
- Mirror stay
- Beam wing
- Italy
- Rear wing
- Beam wing
- Singapore
- FBD inlet
- Japan
- RWEP swage line
- Qatar
- N/A
- USA
- Floor body
- Floor edge and edge wing
- Mexico
- N/A
- Brazil
- N/A
- Las Vegas
- N/A
- Abu Dhabi
- N/A
