Lewis Hamilton worried of copying Red Bull-type sidepods on Mercedes: "It might even go slower"

Lewis Hamilton is worried about his team copying Red Bull's sidepod design for his W14, claiming the car might go even slower. Mercedes has confirmed that it will go with a new design philosophy later this year following the failed 'zeropod' concept.

Mercedes had their eight-year run of constructors' titles terminated by Red Bull last season. They have acknowledged that their poor performance at the beginning of the current campaign has compelled them to abandon the design strategy they pursued during the winter.

The standout aspect of Mercedes' strategy was their 'zero-sidepod' plan, but rumors suggest that they will adopt a more conventional design similar to Red Bull's, which other teams such as Aston Martin have already implemented to good effect.

This change has enabled Fernando Alonso to commence the season with two podium finishes.

Lewis Hamilton is unsure about his team taking Red Bull's sidepod design later this year, claiming the W14 might suffer even more. He told Sky Sports F1:

"People keep talking about getting the new sidepods on the car but it's not as simple as that. You put the Red Bull sidepods on our car and it won't change a thing, it literally won't change a thing, it might even go slower."

Lewis Hamilton claims he should have been put on the same setup as George Russell in Jeddah

At the 2023 Saudi Arabian GP, Lewis Hamilton stated that his team's decision to give him a different set-up than George Russell put him at a disadvantage. He believes he would have performed better if they had the same setup.

During both qualifying and the race, Russell outperformed the seven-time world champion, finishing at P4 while Hamilton came in at P5. Hamilton acknowledged that he was on an inappropriate setup, which put him in a weaker position against his teammate and also led to Russell securing a better position for the upcoming season.

Speaking about his wrong setup choices, Lewis Hamilton said:

"We got some great points as a team. George got third, which is amazing. I went forwards, which is always the hope, to at least go forwards, one foot in front of the other. So I'm really grateful to have come from seventh to fifth."

"Strategy just didn't really work out for me. The setup was a bit off. I think if I had the set-up that George had I would have been in a bit of a better position. Lots to work on but there are positives to take from it."

It will be interesting to watch Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes' progress over the course of the year.