Russell 'surprised' by new Mercedes concept: 'What are those things?'

Mercedes have arrived in Monaco with a new version of the W14, with the team abandoning the much-discussed 'zero sidepod' concept. On social media, George Russell pokes fun at the concept change.

Whereas Mercedes still surprised at the start of the 2022 Formula 1 season with the 'zero sidepod' concept, the team led by Toto Wolff has broadly announced the new version of the W14. After initially sticking rigidly to the W13 concept, even Wolff was finally convinced after the opening race in Bahrain that it was not going to work.

After this, it became clear that the German racing stable was working on a new version of the car, which would make its debut at Imola. However, due to the cancellation of that race, the updates were pushed to the Monaco race weekend. This time there was little surprise at the new design, which this time does feature sidepods.

Russell mocks Mercedes

On Twitter, Russell hit out at the new look of his car. "What are those pod things on the side? Never seen those before…," he says in response to a tweet from Mercedes. Prior to the race weekend in Monaco, the British driver addressed the updates more seriously. According to Russell, it is progress either way, whether the update package proves successful or not.

What are those pod things on the side? Never seen those before…

— George Russell (@GeorgeRussell63) May 25, 2023