This season in Formula 1 has seen an unusual situation: within a few days of each other, McLaren and Mercedes have crossed paths with their aerodynamic concepts. When one adopts the design abandoned by its rival, the other does exactly the opposite. This back-and-forth highlights the intense competition and constant innovation in the sport, where teams are always seeking an edge through aerodynamic efficiency. Since the beginning of the season, the Mercedes W17 has been distinguished by strongly hollowed-out sidepods in their lower part, narrowing towards the rear. This was intended to guide the airflow towards the interior of the car and shorten its path until the area located in front of the rear wheels. Mercedes and Ferrari had until now been the main proponents of this solution. This design aimed to improve downforce and reduce drag, key factors in achieving faster lap times. McLaren followed a different path. The MCL40 retained more inclined sidepods, inherited from the ramp-shaped concept widely used under the previous regulation: air was directed more downward, towards the top of the flat floor and the diffuser. This approach was more traditional and had been used by several teams in previous seasons, focusing on directing airflow toward the diffuser to generate more downforce. At Bakou, a change of direction. McLaren has profoundly reshaped its sidepods, abandoning a significant part of this slope in favor of a more rounded and strongly cleared lower part of the body. Autosport saw precisely a rapprochement with the philosophy used since the beginning of the year by Mercedes: a shorter path for the airflow and more inwash towards the rear. The change was part of a much broader package including also the flat floor, the diffuser, and the engine cover. And then at Sepang, Mercedes takes the opposite direction. The new W17 abandons part of its very hollowed-out design to adopt a much more pronounced ramp on the rear part of the sidepod. The marked cut of the sidepods allows a downward ramp, Mercedes also seeking to reduce the body section in front of the rear wheels. It would therefore be too simple to conclude that one copies the other. The sidepods never work alone: their design depends on the flat floor, cooling, the rear suspension, and the way each single-seater wants to feed its diffuser. But the image is savory: McLaren is approaching the old Mercedes at the very moment when Mercedes is moving away from it.