Formula 1 power unit manufacturers are set to face a clampdown on the use of engine modes, and while Mercedes boss Toto Wolff believes that while it may “hurt” his team in qualifying, he suspects it’ll make them stronger in the races…
Earlier this month, a letter was sent to the teams by the FIA informing them of plans to restrict the use of special modes, which allow a team to change the engine power at certain points.
READ MORE: Qualifying engine modes – What are the proposed changes and why do they matter?
It’s particularly useful in qualifying, as these modes make extra engine revs available and allow for the ability to run without harvesting power and diverting it to the battery, which in turn allows maximum deployment of energy recovered from the two energy recovery systems.
As it stands, the restrictions are set to come into force at some point during the upcoming triple header of races, and there had been speculation that Mercedes would stand to lose the most from such a change, given the performance advantage they currently enjoy.
But speaking about the impact such a clampdown would have on the reigning world champions, Wolff said: “We don’t lack performance on Saturdays. We had until now quite a margin.