Copying Ferrari/Red Bull F1 sidepods never an option for Mercedes in 2022

The German car manufacturer went completely its own route for 2022, adopting a ‘zero sidepod’ solution on the W13, which was very different to the downwash Red Bull idea and the inwash Ferrari concept.

But while Mercedes endured difficulties with its 2022 challenger, the team remained adamant that its issues were nothing to do with its very different sidepod solution.

With its key focus being on curing the porpoising problems that blighted the start to its…