Clearly, Mercedes W13 was not even close to what the team had envisioned. In the first test run in Bahrain, the team knew that something was wrong with the car. But it will destroy their reputation; they did not know. Lewis Hamilton, who returned in 2022 to win his eighth world title that he lost to Max Verstappen in 2021, faced another defeat. This time it was something intense, something that Lewis had never faced before.
However, now Mercedes is well aware that with W13, the team can only achieve one win. Thus, leaving behind the difficult and disastrous 2022 season, the Silver Arrows is moving forward with several changes in their new car. W14 will adopt all the significant developments that made the 2022 Mercedes car capable of winning a race, as in Brazil, we saw George Russell finishing first and Hamilton second.
Meanwhile, talking about recent times, the Mercedes 2023 single-seater will be launched on February 15. But so far, the principal Toto Wolff has revealed a lot of information about the car, even the looks. Last day, Mercedes’ official Instagram account posted a picture of the brand-new car, but sadly it was undercover. However, the sleek black cover is already suggesting that something grand is being hidden. They captioned the picture saying, “We are getting closer and closer to the 2023 Formula One season.”
Mercedes Not Changing The Zero Side Pod Design In W14, No Change In Livery
With the tease, many fans started expecting a change in livery this time. One of the fans said it must be a black livery. Otherwise, it would be disappointing. Somehow, fans want Mercedes to bring back the W12 in W14. One of the fans even asked to please drop off the silver BASE livery. They are asking for a black or turquoise color.
However, you do not need to be curious about what the livery of the car will be. Nothing will be changed in W14. “It will look exactly the same” is confirmed by none other than the boss itself. Toto Wolff had already revealed what he saw when he visited the Brackley factory during the offseason to check the new championship-winning machine. When he saw the Mercedes W14, he didn’t even know if this was the new car because it looked as similar to W13.
However, when Wolff asked the engineers, what is this? Then they explained that, yes, the looks are the same, but underneath is completely different. And, the most important thing, the side pod design that Mercedes launched in 2022 for the first time is not removed from the new car. Despite the failure of the experiment last year, the team is once again implementing the same zero-side pod design in W14.
Probably because the side pod design of W13 was not an issue, according to George Russell, the zero side pod was not something that troubled him while driving. It was probably the entire concept and adjustment to the new technical regulations.