Zero-Sidepod | A Invention That Leads Mercedes-AMG Petrona F1 Team Into Jeopardy
Some inventions lead to marvelous wonders but some lead to disaster & destruction.
However, it is an intrinsic characteristic of human nature to keep moving forward no matter what happens, and due to this, we (humans) surpass through thick & thin by inventing & innovating new solutions that help humanity to nourish in every condition.
But sometimes, this eagerness for invention & innovation can be dreadful, and we don’t care much about the consequences and carry on our journey without keeping an eye on the ground reality, the very same thing happened with the 8-time Formula 1 World Champion Mercedes-AMG Petrona F1 Team that turned into Jeopardy in the 2022 season that continued to this year’s 2023 season.
So, get excited because we are going in-depth about this innovative disaster!!😎
Pre-Season Testing in Barcelona (2022)
In 2022, when pre-season testing happened Mercedes tried two different side pod concepts one is the traditional side pod which they have been using in their previous cars and the other one is the Zero-side pod on their W13 car.
While testing both side pod designs, they obtained the data from the W13 and compared it to each other to see which one was performing better — they found through the data that the Zero-side pod design was better than the traditional side pod design, so they decided to carry on with this new design.
However, when they arrived in Bahrain they found themselves in a difficult spot because the new side pod design was affecting the car’s performance as they were preparing for the race weekend, but that wasn't not only their main concern, because during practice sessions they faced another problem that they haven't anticipated in their wild dreams which were Porpoising that became a nightmare for Mercedes throughout the 2022-season.
So, for those who don't have any idea about Porpoising, let me explain it to you so that you can better understand what we are talking about here,
Porpoising;
It's a vertical bouncing of a car that occurs when the car runs close to the ground or setting up a stiffer ride can lead to porpoising, which has created two sorts of problems.
For one, it hampers the car’s performance and reliability. Two, it can create a major health concern for drivers.
You can control the lateral bouncing or skidding of the car by making adjustments to the setup but it is really difficult to decrease the vertical bouncing because for that you have to adjust the car height & for that, you have to adjust the whole car design which is hectic & expensive.
However, Mercedes was not only the one on the list that was facing this issue, there were other teams too like Red Bulls, Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin…etc., that were facing the very same issue.
Also, if you want to see for yourself how a car behaves under extreme proposing then I suggest you watch the highlights of the 2022 — Azerbaijan GP, In which you can see Lewis bouncing up & down in the car along with other cars on a straight line of Baku.
Now that you understand the problem, let’s carry on…
Learning on Job
However, apart from proposing, the other major problem was the aerodynamic design of the W13 whose major component is the side pod which was not performing up to the mark. This major setback happened with Mercedes after a long time, since 2013.
However, at the end of 2021, Mercedes's most experienced Technical Director “James Allison” who built cars that helped the team to win 8-World championships, left the team due to his personal issues and his friend “Mike Elliot” Chief Technical Director filled his position.
However, due to the incompatibility of Mike Elliot’s skills with his new role, he wasn't able to provide anything on the table that would increase the performance of the car.
However, Mercedes had been a pretty realistic team and knew this was coming for so long but didn't know when, but when it happened they stood firmly with each other and worked together on this new problem by holding their heads high and keeping their eyes on the better future.
Also, in the last race in Abu Dabi — 2022, in an interview, the questions were asked about Mercedes's lack of performance and its new car concept package that they were not able to comprehend or utilize properly, Toto Wolf said;
It's not that the team, who won 8 World Championships, suddenly took an idiot pill and designed the car.
At the end of 2021, we took some bold decisions that we think would be more beneficial for us but we were wrong and now we will place this W13 car on the reception of our headquarters to remind us of taking bold decisions and facing the consequences so that nobody ever fears from taking a bold decision.
However, about comprehending our car concept, it was an on-site job learning and we learned as much as we can in the next season (2023) and we will go in a better direction in the future by utilizing all the data & experience we have accumulated throughout the year.
Thereby, plenty of chances were given to Mike Elliot to fix the W13 car throughout the 2022 — season and he worked on it, by going back to the drawing board and reviewing every aspect that might be overlooked along with his team and with every tiny tweak to bringing upgrades to the car he & his team finally able to bring some performance to the car that won them 1–2 podium places in the penultimate race of the 2022 season in Brazil.
So, that’s how they ended their Formula 1 season with continuous struggling & hustling due to which they had to face several DNFs and finally with that win in Brazil they were able to secure 3rd place in the Constructor’s championship.
However, the team was optimistic for the 2023 — F1 season, but this huge setback affected the morale of their lead driver Lewis Hamilton who decided to do something about it that would lead him near to his goal of winning the 8th — F1 World’s Drivers Championship.
So, what he did do or how he did do it, to get these answers you can check out this story, where you can get more insights about the actions of our favorite 7-time F1 World champion to get near to achieving his goals.
So, this was the story of the infamous Zero-side pod design that not only shook the ground of competitors but also the team itself!!😂
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While you are at it check out the following stories, if you are completely new to the Formula 1 world or if you are curious to more about the World of Formula 1;
👉 Formula 1 | A Guide For Beginner’s | Rules, Cars, Teams, Drivers & Point System
👉 FORMULA 1 WORLD | The Most Prestigious Motorsport In The World
👉 Formula 1 | Story of Flags You Should Know
👉 Formula 1 | Story & History of Tyers
Take care of yourself and enjoy the rest of my stories and until you finish reading them, I’ll meet you with a new story!!👋
