Mercedes boss Toto Wolff doesn't understand why rival manufacturers have allowed themselves to get distracted with "secret letters" and "secret meetings" amid the ongoing debate over Formula 1's compression ratio rules.
One of the big stories in the build-up to the new season has been concerns lodged by rival car makers that Mercedes and potentially Red Bull have found a performance boost through a loophole in F1’s technical rules.
The 16:1 compression ratio limit laid down in the technical rules is based on checks taking place at ambient temperatures, whereas it is suggested that the two manufacturers under the spotlight have found a way to run at a higher limit when engines are running hot.
But amid an ongoing push from Ferrari, Honda and Audi for testing procedures to change, and a letter they wrote jointly to the FIA, Wolff is baffled about why they are so upset.
He has made clear that the FIA has cleared the Mercedes concept, as he suggested that the opposition may simply be trying to find excuses for a lack of performance before the season has even started.
Speaking at a season launch event for Mercedes on Monday, Wolff said: “I just don't understand that some teams concentrate more on the others and keep arguing a case that is very clear and transparent.
“Communication with the FIA was very positive all along. And it's not only on compression ratio, but on other things too. And specifically in that area, it's very clear what the regulations say. It's very clear what the standard procedures are on any motors, even outside of F1.”
Wolff says behaviour like the joint letter being written to the FIA, and a push to change testing procedures, were not the kind of antics his squad would get involved in.
“Maybe, we're all different,” he said. “Maybe you want to find excuses before you even start, why things are not good.
“Everybody needs to do it to the best of their ability, but that is really not how we would do things, especially not after you've been told a few times that it is fine.
“It's legal, and it's what the regulations say. But again, if somebody wants to entertain themselves by distraction, then everybody's free to do this.”
And in a defiant message to the other teams, Wolff said: “Just get your s*** together. Doing secret meetings and sending secret letters, and keep trying to invent ways of testing that just don't exist.
“I feel like I can just say, at least from us here, we are trying to minimise distractions. And minimising distractions is looking more at us than at everybody else – especially when it's pretty clear what the regs say, and also pretty clear what the FIA has said to us and has said to them so far.”
The protest threat
As first revealed by The Race, the FIA is scheduled to hold two meetings with engine manufacturers this week to discuss the situation.
The governing body is evaluating potential changes to testing procedures in the future, so measurements could in theory be taken when engines are running hot.
Discussions are to take place on Monday with technical experts from each of the manufacturers to see if an alternative way of testing can be implemented. but such a move does not have universal support.
So even if progress is made on that front, any moves to change the rules would likely face opposition at a gathering of the Power Unit Advisory Committee (PUAC) that is set for Thursday.
If things do not advance, then Mercedes’ competitors who are unhappy then face a choice of either accepting things as they are, or choosing to challenge the FIA’s interpretations with a protest at one of the early season races.
Wolff made it clear, however, that all the feedback from the FIA, including president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, was that the Mercedes power unit fully complied with the regulations.
“The power unit is legal,” Wolff said, when asked about the risk of a protest. “The power unit corresponds to how the regulations are written, and the power unit corresponds to how the checks are being done.
“The power unit corresponds to how these things are measured in any other vehicle, and everything else [the chances of a protest] I can't judge upon.
“That's how we see the world today, and that's what the FIA said. That's what the President of the FIA said, and he knows a bit about that. In that respect, let's wait and see. But we feel robust.”
