Mercedes' Cowell no fan of 2018 engine rule

Andy Cowell, the man largely responsible for the outstanding quality and performance of Mercedes' power units, says F1's 2018 engine rule is simply 'crazy'.

In its quest to reduce spiraling engine costs in Formula 1, the FIA decided to gradually reduce power unit allocation, with teams forced to rely on just three units this year compared to four in 2017.

Cowell says he's unsupportive of the move, believing the reduction actually defeats the purpose promoted by the sport's governing body.

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"It's crazy," he told Italy's Corriere dello Sport, "because the manufacturers will have to virtually redo many parts."

"We will build at least 80-100 engines and then test them on the bench and take the three or four that have the best reliability and power characteristics," said Cowell.

"That's a huge cost that the manufacturers will not be able to recover."

Despite this year's engine step-down, Mercedes won't be resting on its laurels and will introduce a brand new power unit for this season.

"We've got ideas to reduce the friction in pretty much every area of the power unit, or the losses in electrical systems," Cowell told Motorsport.com.

Cowell's words will likely resonate with Mercedes' rivals. In a very negative way...

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