Former F1 driver certain: 'Mercedes is switching to Red Bull concept'

Andrew Shovlin agreed last week that Red Bull has the best concept. At Mercedes, they have been a bit reluctant to completely jettison the current concept all season. According to team boss Toto Wolff, the budget ceiling complicates the current situation and there is still a glimmer of hope that with a few tweaks they will suddenly get the W13 'alive'.

Red Bull concept as an example

In the background, of course, there is much more at play than Mercedes is releasing in the media. Marc Surer, in conversation with Motorsport-Total.com certain that the German formation will put aside the concept with the very narrow sidepods and focus on Red Bull Racing's design. "Mercedes did not build the perfect chassis this year. They will come next year with a Red Bull copy, at least in terms of concept, and then they will be back."

According to the former Formula 1 driver, this does not automatically mean that Mercedes will be as strong as Red Bull from day one in 2023. A lag is only natural, he says.

Different sidepods

Mercedes is a lot slower on the straights this year and Surer says this is due to the narrow side pods. He thinks that if they revert to large sidepods with the W14, they will have less drag and the top speed will be a lot higher. "So it is not hopeless, but compared to the teams that already have the concept [in use], like Ferrari and Red Bull, they obviously have small disadvantages."