So, Ted Kravitz from Sky F1 had a chat with George Russell about Mercedes’ ex-chief technical officer, Mike Elliott, and whether he was the big defender of the flop ‘zero-pod’ concept. Russell shut that idea down real quick.
Now, let’s rewind a bit. Formula 1’s been in its second season with this whole ground-effect aerodynamics comeback, trying to spice things up with a budget cap and restrictions on wind tunnel testing. The grand plan? Close up the field. Reality check: Red Bull’s been stealing the show, winning back-to-back Constructors’ Championships in 2022 and 2023, while Max Verstappen’s snagged three Drivers’ Championship titles in a row.
Meanwhile, Mercedes, not having the smoothest ride since the rule shake-up, managed just one win at the 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix, thanks to Russell. Fast forward to the return to Interlagos, and Mercedes drops the bomb – Mike Elliott, their chief tech wizard, is stepping down from his role. This move comes after a bit of a merry-go-round earlier in the year when he swapped gigs with technical director James Allison.
The plot thickens at the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix, where Mercedes finally threw in the towel on their ‘zero-pod’ concept that didn’t quite deliver the goods. But here’s the twist – Russell’s setting the record straight. He’s saying Elliott wasn’t the one stubbornly pushing for the ‘zero-pod’ to stick around for another season. Plot twist, right?
