The new-look W13 car proved to be radically different to what Mercedes showed at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, featuring minimalist sidepods in Bahrain – so tiny they are barely visible – and fins on the side of the car to improve airflow.
Red Bull was the first to react to this surprising design. Team Principal Christian Horner was claimed to have told Auto Motor und Sport on Thursday morning: “The new Mercedes violates the spirit of the regulations. For us there are some parts that are not legal.”
However, Red Bull later issued two official statements, first claiming Christian Horner had not “given any interviews” before then explaining that he had made no “official comment”.
Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto confirmed that he did not see how other teams could “argue” with the Mercedes design, given the fact that it had been developed in consultation with the FIA.
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A Scuderia Ferrari source told Formula 1 journalist and analyst Giuliano Duchessa that the new Mercedes car is extreme, but the Maranello team also thought about the same development direction. In the end, Ferrari decided to abandon the idea and focus on their current design and its potential. As a result, Ferrari is not scared of the radical ‘no sidepod’ look on the Mercedes W13 which raised eyebrows on the opening morning of the final pre-season testing session in Bahrain.
Giuliano Duchessa adds that “some have focused on aerodynamic balance, others to reproduce some known (very efficient) effects above the floor. What is certain is that the two cars (Mercedes and Ferrari) look like the north pole and the south pole. Very good for Formula 1.”
