When the teams exited the garage for the first time last year in Bahrain, there were many different interpretations of the new regulations on show.
The sidepods were an area of particular difference, with Mercedes even opting to develop the W13 with virtually no sidepods.
Having has a year now to fully understand what works best in this new era of Formula 1, fans may have expected every team to have adopted a similar approach to the sidepods this year, but this has not been the case.
Mercedes’ W14 still features the no sidepod design, while Red Bull continue with the extremely detailed approach.
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Ferrari’s sidepods feature a gulley on the top to help with excess airflow that cannot be managed by a typical sidepod design, something which has also been adopted by Alpine.
Aston Martin’s AMR23 has been analysed from fans after footage was released of the car taking to the track, with the team seemingly taking inspiration from multiple teams with a detailed sidepod which also features a gully.
“I feel like some of the midfield teams have thrown together Red Bull and Ferrari concepts,” wrote one Reddit user under the leaked photo of Aston Martin’s sidepods.
“Like, front of sidepods, undercut and out wash Red Bull-esque with Ferrari bathtub sidepod on top.”
Former Red Bull head of aerodynamics Dan Fallows now serves as Aston Martin’s technical director and some fans believe that the interesting sidepod design might be a result of his genius.
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“Is this [the] first car Dan Fallows has worked on? Coz if that’s the case, it’ll certainly be very interesting to see what he’s come up with. Dude’s one of the best aerodynamicists out there,” wrote another Reddit user.
New signing Fernando Alonso has claimed that the staff working on the AMR23 are some of the most talented that he has ever worked with in his career, even boldly suggesting that the team could mount a title charge within a couple of seasons.
Having finished seventh in the constructors’ championship in both of their seasons in F1, Aston Martin will hope to battle with more of the midfield teams this season.