That’s either a great example of clever F1 engineering if you’re the Mercedes works team or one of its customers (McLaren, Williams and Alpine) or a blatant cheat if you’re powered by Audi, Ford, Honda or Ferrari.
At first, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff suggested the others should just “get their shit together” and stop moaning, then made a point of talking up the Red Bull-Ford powertrain – much to Verstappen’s obvious amusement.
If the other manufacturers, the FIA and Formula 1 Management intervene, Wolff reckons Mercedes could be “screwed”. Either way, it’s likely to be an exasperating talking point as the teams touch down in Australia.
When F1 has changed its rules…
Regulation resets usually shake up the F1 form book, but not always.
1983 A late change to outlaw increasingly lethal ground-effect aero forced most teams to hack their chassis into B-spec compromises, but Brabham’s Gordon Murray burnt the midnight oil to create the BT52. Cue BMW’s only Fl title.
1989 The return to atmo engines ended the first turbo era, but McLaren-Honda, Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost kept on winning anyway.
1994 Williams was wrong-footed by a ban on driver aids such as ABS, traction control and active suspension. Benetton took full advantage.
1998 Unlike in 1994, Adrian Newey got it right. His first McLaren built to new narrow-track dimensions and on (terrible) grooved tyres afforded Mika Häkkinen the first of two consecutive titles.
