Mercedes request forces FIA to address oil burning issue... again

Formula 1's oil-burning issue appears to be a work in progress, but the FIA's latest directive will hopefully put an end to the ongoing saga.

In the past few months, the governing body has attempted to enact and legislate on the thorny issue of using oil for fuel. Intra-team rivalry – and suspicions - have kept the problem alive however.

The FIA has now closed another loophole following a request by Mercedes for clarification on oil used in a power unit's “pressure charging system”, commonly known as the turbocharger element of the hybrid engine.

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“With the exception of transformer oils used within ERS cooling circuits, and hydraulic oils used for PU actuators (both of which should have zero consumption in operation), do all oils (and specifically, any oil used in the pressure charging [turbocharger] system) used in the power unit need to comply with article 20?” asked Chris Jilbert, Mercedes' head of product engineering capability at Brixworth, in a letter to the FIA.

Article 20 covers all things oil and states that “no competitor may use more than one oil in a given engine during an event.”

Mercedes also asked whether the turbo system oil was considered part of the set 0.6-litres/100kms oil consumption limit, as defined by F1's technical rules.

The FIA replied by the affirmative, hopefully closing one last loophole remaining in teams' interpretation of the oil burning issue.

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