Following the introduction of new regulations in 2022, Mercedes introduced the F1 world to their new sidepod design. Known as a zero sidepod, it was a radical design that raised multiple eyebrows, which ultimately didn’t work to the fullest. As the sidepod design sparked attention, Red Bull was intrigued to study them. However, Adrian Newey in the end, revealed that it wouldn’t have been fruitful, as per Beyond the Grid podcast.
Admittedly, the design by the Silver Arrows did not work as per the expectations. Even George Russell as seen in Netflix’s Drive to Survive was sure that the Silver W13 looked fast. However, it failed to provide the speed the German team is used to.
The same sidepod was continued in 2023 and the result was the same. Ultimately, the Silver Arrows decided to get rid of their radical design and use a sidepod similar to the Austrian team. Nevertheless, Newey and Co. showed interest in the Mercedes concept, at least for once.
Adrian Newey shared why Red Bull did not go Mercedes’ way despite interests
Newey, the Red Bull mastermind who initially had an interest in the zero sidepod concept by Mercedes, ultimately decided to give up on it and stick to their own development. This happened even though Mercedes dominated the 2022 Sao Paolo GP by finishing 1-2.
Talking about this, he said as per the F1 Beyond the Grid podcast, “Mercedes showed flashes of competitive[ness] last year, they won in Brazil.” Following this, he added, “Then you’re faced with a choice of well, do we start to research Mercedes in case you’ve missed something or do we stick with what we’re doing? And gut feel was, let’s stick with what we’re doing.”
A ‘mysterious’ source provided me with these new shots of the W14 to share with you!👀
The sidepod gets thinner and more concave towards the back of the car and ‘twists’ around the longitudinal axis
Mercedes’ interpretation of a conventional sidepod#F1 #MonacoGP pic.twitter.com/x0Lryoyely
— Formula Data Analysis (@FDataAnalysis) May 25, 2023
Notably, Newey’s decision to stick with their plan seems to have paid off as the Austrian team has been dominating the grid ever since.
How did Newey revolutionize aerodynamics?
Adrian Newey and his team not deciding to follow Mercedes’ design was a remarkable decision indeed. In doing so, the Milton-Keynes-based team dominated the entire 2022 season, winning the constructors title and followed it up with another record breaking season this time about.
Last season they claimed 17 wins in 22 races, followed by 15 wins in 16 races so far. Interestingly, they were also on a 15-race winning streak until the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix.
The dominance looks so huge that experts believe that they are expected to remain unchallenged till 2025, the season before the new regulations kick in. This also shows how incredible the work of Adrian Newey has been in F1.
