Mercedes does good business: 'Faster, more aerodynamic and narrower'

The Formula 1 season starts in a week, which means that the teams have very little time left to optimize the car. Although little can be said about the car's performance during the test days, Mercedes is impressing with its side pods.

Mercedes has managed to put a better car than the other teams on track in recent years. It hopes to maintain that form this season. The German team has therefore clearly opted for different details on the car, which should enable Lewis Hamilton and George Russell to set better times.

Robert Doornbos is impressed with the smaller sidepods that Mercedes has. "That's the charm of Formula 1. Everyone gets the same rules, that whole book, and in that you just have to look for the limits in your own philosophy," he told the Race Café program on Ziggo Sport. "This looks faster, more aerodynamic and narrower."

Ferrari made the biggest impression during the test days in Barcelona and Bahrain for the time being, but the Italians fear that Mercedes and Red Bull Racing are holding back a number of improvements. They would only start using these during the Grand Prix weekend in Bahrain.