George Russell says Mercedes hasn’t dismissed its zero sidepod design concept for 2023, insisting the novel approach hasn’t been the troubled car’s main “performance differentiator”. Mercedes initially presented its 2022 new-generation W13 car in pre-season testing with a side-pod design that followed the overall trend of the field. But in Bahrain, for F1's second pre-season test, the Brackley squad rolled out an heavily updated car that featured very narrow lateral bodywork and minimal sidepods. Mercedes stuck with the innovative concept but from the outset, the performance of W13 package was undermined by porpoising, handling and set-up issues. Read also: Mercedes: 'All to play...
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