Karun Chandhok thinks other teams will copy ‘super important’ Mercedes part soon

Follow us on Google Discover

Sky Sports F1 expert Karun Chandhok believes there’s one part on the new Mercedes he expects other teams to copy soon.

Winter innovation is one of the key parts of Formula 1, with Red Bull and Mercedes being leaders in the field over the past 10 years.

Speaking on Sky Sports F1’s preview show before the start of the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend, Chandhok was reviewing the latest offering from the Silver Arrows.

Mercedes with work to do to catch Red Bull

Last season was a real disappointment from Mercedes’s point of view.

After winning eight Constructors’ Championships on the bounce, they finally lost out to Red Bull in 2022 before failing to win a race last year.

Lewis Hamilton hasn’t stood on the top step of the podium since the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in 2021 and that has forced him to make a change no one saw coming as he heads to Ferrari next year.

Red Bull have led the way under the current regulations when it comes to finding clever ways to find an advantage over their rivals.

Karun Chandhok now believes that there’s one part on the new Mercedes that other teams will try to copy.

It’s a good sign that they’ve found a new interpretation of the rules that others haven’t discovered.

So much so, that Red Bull supremo Adrian Newey has taken a particular interest.

Chandhok expects others to copy one key Mercedes part

Speaking about the F1 W15, Chandhok said: “Mercedes have talked a lot about trying to make the car more driver-friendly, more user-friendly, trying to get rid of the bouncing issue, they have done that.

“They’ve made some changes to try and get some rear stability to the car. But the front wing is still the most sensitive part of the race car.

“It’s the first bit that hits the air as the cars are going through the straight and the corners, so it’s super important. It’s a great bit of innovation and I think we’ll see some other teams doing something similar soon.”

It will be fascinating to see as Chandhok suggests when the first copy of Mercedes’s new front wing appears on the grid.

A lot of the cars on the grid have similarities to last year’s Red Bull only for the Austrian manufacturer to go in a new direction for 2024.

Teams attempt to hide certain upgrades until the very last minute to avoid seeing their unique parts end up elsewhere on the grid.

However, a front wing is simply too important to mess around with and Mercedes will hope it gives them an advantage heading into the race in Bahrain.