The reiꦚgning world champions had been tipped to bring a significant upgrade package to the seco🧸nd week of pre-season testing and rumours of a ‘sidepod-less’ design emerged leading up to the test. 

Lewis Hamilton hit the track on Thursday morning in the updated W13, which features a much slimmer sidepod design. Mercedes’ updated 2022 challenger also has taller and narrower co💙oling inlets. 

Mercedes admitted after the opening test in Barcelona that it was looking at Red Bull’s “interesting” and simila♚rly-aggressive sidepo🅷d design, which turned heads during the first week of running. 

Hamilton has already been spotted locking up several times during the early 🅘stages of the opening day, while the Mercedes once again appears to be suffering f♐rom F1’s porpoising phenomenon. 

Elsewhere, there has been a driver line-up change at Mc𝄹Laren with Lando Norris taking over testing du🤡ties on Thursday. 

Daniel Ricciardo had originally been scheduled to runও on the first day but the Australian has been su🎃bstituted after “feeling unwell”.

The second and final pre-season test ⛄takes placeꦜ at the Bahrain International Circuit between March 10-12, before the season gets underway at Sakhir on March 20.