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McLaren technical director James Key has praised Mercedes’ innovative interpretation of the 2022 regulations, revealing that he was surprised by their “no-pod” design.
Describing the concept as extreme but innovative, Key felt that the German team was "courageous" to adopt the design given its drawbacks. Speaking on the F1: Beyond the Grid podcast, the Briton said:
“Hats off to them for coming up with that interpretation and having the courage to go with it. They really went to an extreme. So yes, I was – I think we were all surprised. But it’s great to see a team having the courage, and then the innovation that’s gone into that, to have something that’s so different.”
Mercedes’ radical no-pod design is one of the most extreme interpretations of the new regulations. When it debuted at the second pre-season test of 2022 in Bahrain, the team touted it to have great potential, leading many to predict another season of the German team’s domination.
Despite great expectations, the concept has failed to live up to expectations, leaving the team unable to compete for world championships for the first time in the turbo-hybrid era.
Yet, the team has faithfully stuck with the concept — mostly due to their hands being tied with the restrictions over aerodynamic testing — hoping to better understand what makes the concept tick and unlock its potential.
Proposing wasn’t the cause of Mercedes’ problems at Monaco GP
Mercedes have confirmed that their 2022 F1 Monaco GP issues weren’t due to porpoising, but rather due to an altogether different concern.
According to team principal Toto Wolff, inherent drawbacks within the W13’s suspension led to the team being unable to set up the car properly in Monte Carlo, causing excessive bouncing. Speaking to Channel 4 after the race, Wolff said:
“We are hitting the ground in a very different way. The car is too stiff, too low. Around Monaco, we were six tenths behind, and into Baku, we will probably be three tenths behind the front-runners, we hope, for the best case.”
The W13’s suspension is reportedly very stiff and has so little travel that the team was unable to stop the car from violently bouncing on the bumping, uneven Monaco track.
