Mercedes carefully teases first images of 2023 car
F1 News
- GPblog.com
George Russell has already tried on his seat for next season. In a video on Mercedes' YouTube channel, the team gives a look inside the factory where Russell is trying out the cockpit for 2023. From the few images, you can learn something about the design of the new car straight away.
It is still a while before the next season starts but work behind the scenes is already in full swing. Mercedes is the first team to show some of the work on the new car. Russell had to try out his cockpit for next year "to make sure it is as snug and tight as possible", as Russell puts it himself. To do this, the cockpit was recreated without the rest of the car attached.
Of course, great care is taken in videos like this to reveal as few details as possible about the car's design. Therefore, there is not much more to see than some edges of the cockpit. Still, even from these images, there is something to be inferred. For instance, extra fins can be seen to improve aerodynamics.
Roll hoop had to be redesigned
The biggest change is that the roll hoop - the circular piece behind the driver's bridle - is different from last year. This is due to a rule change by the FIA after this year's British Grand Prix. At that race, Zhou Guanyu's car rolled over and scraped the ground for an end instead of rolling on as intended. To avoid such a situation in the future, the FIA has mandated a new roll hoop design.