Asked to compare the V6 turbo hybrids of Mercedes F1 and Ferrari, Valtteri Bottas says the Italian power unit he is running on this year at Alfa Romeo has a significant difference to the Mercedes he used before.
After his stint at Alfa Romeo, Bottas is driving a Formula 1 powered by something other than a Mercedes engine for the first time since 2013. But after so many seasons in the hybrid era, it seems the convergence of turbo hybrid engines is a true reality . According to him, the Ferrari V6 looks a lot like the Mercedes.
« If I compare the power to last year’s engine, it seems very similar in terms of power level. Last year there were reliability issues at Mercedes. I think I used eight engines l last year. Now I’m up to six this year. So it could be close to the end of the season in terms of reliability! »
However, there is a noticeable difference according to the Finn.
« The flexibility handling with the Ferrari is really excellent, it’s very smooth. I think that’s the biggest difference, the flexibility of these engines has been improved a lot by Ferrari where the Mercedes is perhaps more brutal . »
