Mercedes AMG Petronas are known for the innovative updates to their cars, much like the DAS steering that helped with tire management only for the FIA to intervene and spoil the team’s smart loophole breach. Similarly, the Silver Arrows came up with a zero-pod concept ahead of the 2022 Formula 1 season, and the entire focus shifted onto long-term Red Bull asset Adrian Newey.
The Red Bull mastermind is well-known for his incredible aerodynamical designs that somehow play a massive role in delivering the absolute best out of the cars. Hence, with Newey being the kind of man who doesn’t leave any stone unturned, there is no denying that the Red Bull engineers may have taken a peek at Mercedes’ unique concept and the idea of replicating it on Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez’s challengers.
What’s more, the hype blew out of proportion when George Russell secured the first victory of his career at the Brazilian Grand Prix while his teammate, Lewis Hamilton, tagged along in P2. Hence, many anticipated Red Bull to emulate Mercedes’ design for 2023, especially after coming across its insane scope for performance.
The 2022 Moment of the Year, presented by @bangolufsen, is @georgerussell63’s maiden #F1 win, in Brazil 🇧🇷
Russell was finally able to taste victory for the first time by holding off teammate Lewis Hamilton for an emotional win 💪#AutosportAwards #Autosport pic.twitter.com/1Vohlu4lr1
— Autosport (@autosport) December 4, 2022
However, to everyone’s surprise, Newey unleashed a monster of his own which had anything but Mercedes’ philosophy. Therefore, the question arose; did Newey even consider the zero-pod concept for the Red Bull challengers?
Red Bull mastermind Adrian Newey breaks the silence on Mercedes’ zero-pod concept
Newey opened up about Mercedes‘ zero-pod concept and why chose not to follow in the footsteps of Toto Wolff and Co. and rather embark on a journey of his own. “[My] gut feel was, let’s stick with what we’re doing,” Newey said according to Race Fans.
“It was [a matter of] sitting down with the rule book then trying to understand what architecture in terms of where do you put the front wheels, where do you put the rear wheels relative to the fixed bits of the series of chassis, engine and gearbox. The underlying architecture, you have to decide.
#F1: Adrian Newey explains why he didn’t explore Mercedes’ zero-pod concept despite a win in Brazil last year: “[My] gut feel was, let’s stick with what we’re doing.”
“It was [a matter of] sitting down with the rule book then trying to understand what architecture in terms of…
— deni (@fiagirly) September 27, 2023
“In my case, I concentrated on the architecture and then the front and rear suspension because they’re the kind of key bits that you want to try and get right if you possibly can.” “If you get the bodywork wrong, within reason, you can change it during a season. But if you get the underlying architecture wrong, at the very least you stuck with it for one season.”
Overall, while many initially laughed at Red Bull’s decision not to follow the zero-pod concept, the reality has proven almost everyone wrong, and Newey stands tall with yet another astounding victory as an aerodynamicist.
