Mercedes’ infamous zero-pod design is no longer after the first pictures of their Monaco Grand Prix upgrade were revealed.
The Brackley-based team was set to introduce the new parts at Imola last weekend before the race was cancelled due to flooding in the Emilia Romagna region in the build-up.
As a result, Thursday in Monte Carlo was the first time the public got to see the scope of the changes made to the W14, which are vast.
A new front suspension and floor aim to reduce ‘dive’, which is seen as one area where Red Bull’s RB19 excels compared to its rivals.
But all eyes were on the sidepods where Mercedes has shifted to a more conventional design focused on creating a downwash effect that directs airflow to the rear diffuser.
Commenting in his pre-race preview, team boss Toto Wolff warned the significant upgrade will not deliver immediate results.
“The revised calendar means that Monaco is now the starting point of the European leg of the season,” he said.
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“It is a unique event but will still provide an opportunity to learn about the upgrades to W14 – but we also need to be careful not to draw too many conclusions from this one event. We are introducing the first step in a new development direction.
“It won’t be a silver bullet; from my experience, they do not exist in our sport. We hope that it gives the drivers a more stable and predictable platform. Then we can build on that in the weeks and months ahead.
“F1 is tough competition and a meritocracy. We are not where we want to be but there’s no sense of entitlement. It’s just about hard work to get us to the front.”
Let’s see how it goes!