Max Verstappen has no concerns regarding the radical alterations Mercedes have made to their car ahead of the 2022 season, maintaining that his focus is solely on his own car and team.
Mercedes rocked up to the first day of the second pre-season test in Bahrain with a brand-new, salient design which featured a near-total absence of sidepods.
They have essentially been replaced by unconventional grills, which will presumably have led to a new cooling design.
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Red Bull team principal Christian Horner was reportedly unimpressed by the changes his rivals have made.
“The new Mercedes violates the spirit of the regulations. For us, some parts are not legal,” he is said to have told Auto Motor und Sport.
“These are not mirror mounts, but two wings. They also have vertical baffles built on top. They have nothing to do with the mirror mount.”
The Milton Keynes side would go on to indicate that, while the 48-year-old may have given an interview on day one of testing, it is not the official position of the team.
“So we are clear, we have made no official comment regarding Mercedes’ car and will not be doing so,” they said in a statement.
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Verstappen was seen taking a good look at the Mercedes car on the grid ahead of the first session on Thursday, but he is not perturbed by their unique bit of innovation.
“I’m not concerned. We can only focus on ourselves,” he told reporters.
“Even if the cars look a bit different, there are so many unknown things that we need to learn about. I’m not worried at all.”