Formula 1 returns for a new campaign this weekend, with its first race taking place in Bahrain, and it has quite a few new rules in place.

These are all related to technical aspects of the car, which were put in place to improve the racing.

The rules are designed with a focus on shifting the aerodynamic focus from the wings to underneath the car, making it easier to follow the car in front.

As a result the technical changes that were mandated included implementing 18-inch tyres with wheel winglets, a simplified front wing and a sharp new rear wing and a ground-effect floor.

According to Autosport there were some fears these new rules would result in all the cars looking the same under the new ruleset.

However, there was much variation to be seen through the launches and in pre-season testing.

One of the biggest areas where teams took different directions was with sidepod design.

Mercedes brought a radical slimline solution to the second test, while Ferrari has a far wider, dipping design.

According to Autosport, the variety on display was to be found in parts of the car that were less influential, such as the sidepods, could be opened up to allow various designs.

Why were the sidepods from Mercedes criticised?

The 'slimline' sidepods from Mercedes did received some criticism, particularly from Red Bull boss Christian Horner, who was attributed as saying that design was 'not legal', although her later denied those claims.

Sidepods are used as space for cooling inlets for the engine, which is why there was surprise at Mercedes having them so minimally on its car.

On The Race website, Gary Anderson wrote of the sidepods: "With this sidepod package, Mercedes will be creating outwash low down while still allowing efficient flow front to rear above the cyan line on the sidepods.

"This will generate the vortices that help with sealing the floor further rearward, but also allow high levels of mass flow through to the beam wing and over the upper surface of the diffuser."