F1 News: Red Bull Reveals They "Looked At" Mercedes Zeropod Concept
Red Bull continues to assert its dominance in the 2023 Formula 1 season, leading both the drivers' and constructors' championships. As the team continues to excel, it also keeps a keen eye on the competition, including Mercedes' innovative - however flawed - concept. Adrian Newey, a prominent figure at Red Bull and a legendary aerodynamicist, shared insights with Sky Sports, revealing that they briefly examined Mercedes' approach.
In 2022, Mercedes made headlines when it revealed its 'zeropod' concept. While Sebastian Vettel called it "dropped dough", the W13 showcased minimal sidepods and was expected to bring with it a significant advantage that other teams had missed. This didn't quite pan out for the Brackley team, and in Monaco this year, they changed their concept, adding sidepods to the W14 along with a number of other changes.
During the second winter test in Bahrain in 2022, Mercedes captivated attention with their innovative design. Newey, finding interest in the odd-looking design, put the car under his own microscope.
"Should we look more at what Ferrari did with their shape? In the end, we had a very quick look at the Mercedes to see what they were trying to achieve," he admitted. "We didn't look at Ferrari and mainly concentrated on developing our own car and luckily we seem to have had a decent solution."