Technical analysis: Spa and Monza

EN-F1-tech-galery-italy-mercedes-engine

Always one upgrade ahead

Since the current-gen power units were introduced last season, Mercedes have had a clear advantage in terms of engine performance. And the defending champions are very keen to keep the edge in that field. With the FIA closing the loophole in the regulations that led to in-season development being allowed in 2015, manufacturers will need to have their latest power units homologated by 28 February 2016. And while 32 tokens were granted for this season, only 25 are allocated for next year. Constructors and supplied teams will thus have less time and scope to test and improve their new engine package.

This is why Mercedes spent its entire 7-token allocation for 2015 on the major upgrade it launched at Monza, i.e. slightly ahead of schedule. Three were devoted to redesigning the internal combustion engine (ICE), and introduce an innovative combustion process that requires a new fuel formulation.

 “It’s largely that the fuel is enabling us to make changes around the ICE,” said Mercedes engine boss Andy Cowell. “This is where the majority is, three on combustion, there’s no rocket science there.

“The combustion aspect, particularly with the fuel, is a key bit [of the upgrade], but then there are some other enablers [where the other four tokens were spent] close to that, to put that whole package together.”

While Nico Rosberg suffered a hydraulic leak that forced him to revert to an older power unit spec (which was being run for the sixth race weekend), the upgrade still represents a major step forward. Brackley now has eight grands prix to improve the ICE reliability of a package that will serve as a basis for next year’s engine. Thus, Mercedes’ 2016 allocation of 25 tokens should be used towards upgrading the energy recovery systems (ERS) and turbocharger (TC).