Mercedes has reached a milestone in the 2023 development process with the first engine start of the W14.
Silver Arrows shared a video of its factory ahead of its Christmas close as its 2023 challenger came to life for its first ignition, in a key milestone in the car’s cycle.
Mercedes posted a clip of the most important moment on its social media, with several members seen running in the car before colleagues saw the engine start for the first time, dressed in earplugs to muffle noise from inside the factory.
Naturally, the main aspects of the car itself have been well concealed from the video, and the team has yet to verify when the W14 will be unveiled to the world, with Aston Martin and Ferrari announcing their car launches, on February 13 and 14 respectively.
– PlanetF1 (@Planet_F1) December 22, 2022
Despite the teams creating a new car from scratch for the Formula 1 season, the Mercedes team is likely to be very excited to take part in this benchmark ahead of the Christmas final.
Given how problematic the W14’s predecessor was in 2022, it’s clear from their drawings the year the team has been looking to fix the W13’s problems with the Marsouinage, while ending the significant gap they had with Red Bull and Ferrari.
As the season progressed, they baffled their rivals, and their double in the penultimate round in Brazil will have given Mercedes new motivation for the offseason.
Even though there are still a few months left before pre-season testing for 2023 and plenty of paints to do on the car before it hits the track in Bahrain for the first time, Mercedes has taken a step by bringing its new car in combination, nonetheless.
Read more: 2023 F1 calendar: Release dates, pre-season testing, TV show