Mercedes remains true to its concept. But if more problems come, the German team is said to have a plan B!

The Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 team has stayed true to its zero-sidewall technology concept for 2023. The German stable logically believes that this year’s car will not only put them back in the title battle, but also bring success. However, should Mercedes continue to struggle, they are said to have a plan B in place!

Formula 1 has entered a new era with the stroke of 2022, not just in terms of sporting but more importantly technical regulations.

However, not all teams have dealt with this change positively, Mercedes being one of them. The latter struggled last year, especially in the first half of the season.

And together with Aston Martin, it suffered a lot from porpoising, or rather the car bouncing on the straights, and in the case of Mercedes also in the corners.

So there was concern in the German team as to whether the technological concept with zero side skirts was really one that would work in the new era of the queen of motorsport.

In the second half of the season, however, Mercedes came up with upgrades that managed to solve at least part of the problems. So it wasn’t just the fan community that was curious to see what the team would come up with for the 2023 season, and the unveiling of the new car already gave us a hint.

The team decided to be true to its philosophy and kept the concept with almost zero sidewalls on the W14 monoblocs, with some major design changes, of course.

However, according to Sky Sports F1 analyst Ted Kravitz, Mercedes has another car concept that is more akin to Red Bull’s design, which they may introduce as early as mid-season if their problems from last season still persist.

Kravitz on Plan B

“They want to try again with their big idea that failed last year. But I believe they have a plan B. And if they need to, they can switch to it in the middle of the season. It‘s a Red Bull or Ferrari-style approach,” explains Kravitz.

“The rules are what they are. And they’re going to be like that for a few years, so they have to get it right at some point. The word from Mercedes is that they have sorted out their problems and they have a concept across the pit lane that is unique,” he added.

Sources: Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1, Sky Sports F1