Mercedes: W14 bodywork upgrade ‘won’t look like Red Bull’

While Mercedes have retained their unique ‘zero sidepod’ concept on their brand-new W14 challenger for 2023, team boss Toto Wolff has hinted the area will be revised during the upcoming season. 

Mercedes are planning to introduce a big upgrade package a few races into the new campaign and it had been suggested the team were developing a backup sidepod concept similar to Red Bull and Ferrari’s philosophy. 

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However, Mercedes technical director Mike Elliott has dismissed the rumours and stressed the W14’s modified bodywork “won’t look like someone else’s”. 

“There’s bodywork coming and it will look different,” Elliott told Sky Sports F1’s Ted Kravitz. 

“It won’t look like someone else’s [car], it will look like an evolution of ours. That’s on its way.”

When asked if Mercedes are going to converge to Red Bull’s sidepod concept, Elliott said: “That’s not in our current plans.”

Mercedes appear to be playing catch up to Red Bull and Ferrari heading into the new season, with Lewis Hamilton admitting the team have “a mountain to climb” following a mixed pre-season test in Bahrain. 

But Elliott is hopeful Mercedes’ developments over the course of the year can bring them back into title contention after a miserable 2022. 

“In competition [terms], hopefully we’re back but I think we have to be humble, we have to remember we’ve got good competition,” he said. 

“If we made a step forward and got closer to the front then we’re back in it. And if we can develop over the course of the season then hopefully we can fight for the championship.”