27 February 2023 , 22:06
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Mercedes say they have no "plan B" car design in place this year despite Ted Kravitz's claim that the Silver Arrows have a back-up plan for their development of the W14.
The team raised eyebrows when it pulled the covers off the new car earlier this month. The headline was that it had gone back to black for the car's livery, though it was also noticed that Mercedes had stuck with their 'zeropod' aero concept which other teams have ignored.
Mercedes chiefs have repeatedly declared their belief that the lack of sidepods had nothing to do with their performance struggles last year. But Sky Sports pundit Kravitz still reported last week that the team has a more conventional design in reserve.
"They're giving their big idea, which was a failure last year, one more go. But I believe they have a 'plan B' in production," he said. "If they need to, they can go to a Plan B – which is the Red Bull or Ferrari style of doing things – in the middle of the season.
"These rules are what they are for a few years yet, so they've got to get it right at some point. But at the moment they're saying 'look we think we've got a proper handle on what went wrong last year, we still think our way – which is unique in the pit lane, having very slim sidepods – is the way to go aerodynamically'.
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"Most of the downforce is generated by the floor, which you can't see, but they're saying 'don't expect anything too soon'." But when the Sky Sports pit lane reporter later pressed technical director Mike Elliott about it, he denied that was the case.
Ted Kravitz told Sky Sports that Mercedes have a backup plan (Sky Sports)He said: "So, there is a bodywork coming. It will look different – it won't look like somebody else's, it will look like an evolution of ours. That's on its way. [A change of concept] is not in our current plans."
After testing was complete, Kravitz voiced his opinion that Aston Martin could be quicker than Mercedes in the early weeks of the season. "That's to do with Fernando Alonso's race run," he said, adding: "The car is essentially good and has some nice ideas."
But colleague Martin Brundle is not so sure. Asked if he agreed, he replied: "No. That's too much to ask, I think. Too big of a turnaround. Mercedes, their car was pretty handy towards the end of last year – don't forget, George Russell won in Brazil. So, I think that's underplaying how strong Mercedes are as a team and that car can be."