By Joe Murphy
Mercedes have revealed that they will not ‘deviate significantly’ from last year’s W13 car design, regardless of the troubles they faced last season. After picking up eight consecutive Constructors Championship Titles, Mercedes endured all sorts of issues last season following the introduction of new regulations enforced by the FIA.
One such problem during 2022 proved to be porpoising, with both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell complaining about the issue throughout the campaign, although it was more evident towards the start of the calendar year. This was a huge factor in finishing third behind both Ferrari and Red Bull.
Many fans of the Silver Arrows would have been hoping for a fresh start in 2023, expecting the team to bounce back and be more competitive against their rivals. When talking about changes at the end of last season, team principal Toto Wolff said; “the DNA of the 2023 car will be different from that of the current car, as we will change the architecture.”
This sounds promising, but the German then admitted the changes won’t be wholesale; “but it does not necessarily mean that our chassis will look very different from that of the W13.”
Following these comments, reports have suggested that Mercedes are set to stick with their zero sidepod concept on their 2023 car. This is not the start to the year Lewis Hamilton or George Russell would have been hoping for, with both drivers (the former especially), looking to put last year’s struggles well and truly behind them. What is for sure is that pre-season testing will be a huge indicator as to how the new car will fare in the coming campaign.
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