Mercedes sidepods images stir frenzy amid chats on Hamilton getting £40m Ferrari contract

Mercedes are all set to participate in the F1 Monaco Grand Prix 2023 with the upgrade package that they earlier planned for Imola. The first images of the Mercedes upgrade interestingly feature the sidepods that were missing in their 2022 and 2023 cars up till this point. This comes at a time when media reports are claiming that Ferrari have offered a contract worth £40m to secure Lewis Hamilton’s service for the 2024 season.

Meanwhile, Formula 1 took to its official website on Thursday and shared the first images of Mercedes’s upgrades for the weekend, hours after they first went viral on social media. “Mercedes brought their planned Imola upgrade package to Monaco and, as promised, it looks very different to the original ‘zero-sidepod’ W14, as revealed by the first photographs taken in the pit lane ahead of the race weekend,” said F1.

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“This is the first update the team have made from the perspective of accepting that the original concept of both the W13 and W14 was simply uncompetitive. As a consequence, there is a limitation in what they have been able to do using the W14’s existing tub, which was designed around the now-discarded concept but which cannot be changed this year,” Formula 1 added.

What else to expect from Mercedes at Monaco?

As revealed by F1, alongside the sidepod upgrade, Mercedes have another major change in their front suspension. The greater angle between the wishbone is aimed to get more anti-dive. “There are probably many more details of the Mercedes update we have not yet seen and it would be expected, for example, that the geometry of the underfloor tunnels will be quite different,” F1 said in conclusion.

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Rumors claim Charles Leclerc is Lewis Hamilton's replacement in Mercedes

Meanwhile, as per a report by Daily Mail, the Ferrari management is considering securing seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton services to drive for them. It is worth noting that current Ferrari star Charles Leclerc is also being linked with rumors claiming he will be Hamilton’s replacement at the German team if he decides to leave them. However, Mercedes will be hoping to better their performances with the new look car in Monaco and potentially convince Lewis to stay.