SAKHIR, Bahrain – Mercedes has brought a significant upgrade to its 2022 Formula One car in time for the second pre-season test in Bahrain.
Driven by seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton on Thursday morning, the car featured tiny sidepod inlets and a completely redesigned engine cover.
Sidepods have become a big differentiator in car design this year, with Ferrari running a wide boxy design with a concave upper surface and Red Bull featuring raised inlets above a dramatic undercut.
However, Mercedes’ concept is arguably the most extreme solution of the lot, with very small air inlets either side of the cockpit and a sloping sidepod that appears to exist separately from the upper side-impact crash structure on which the wing mirrors are mounted. It also features two sets of louvres cut into each sidepod to help with cooling.
The radical sidepod of the Mercedes is unlike any other car on the F1 grid this year. Dan Istitene – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images
The design is unique…
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