Red Bull is said to have made an inquiry to the FIA about the operation of the Mercedes engine.
The design and functioning of the inlet plenum of the world champion’s M12 engine should be the focus of inquiries from competitors. There is a suspicion that the team has come up with a novel way to lower the temperature of the coolant for short periods of time for a performance benefit.
The rapprochement is believed to have been brought to Red Bull’s attention after noticing spikes in its rivals’ acceleration during races. The teams often ask the FIA to clarify certain design approaches, particularly to see if the rivals’ interpretations of the rules are legitimate, either to replicate or to ban them.
However, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner would not be the focus of his team request about Mercedes. “As is the nature of all technical clarifications, they go back and forth between all teams,” he said. “And these clarifications are usually used to determine if something is acceptable as a solution in the eyes of the governing body. And if so, then of course you will follow suit.
“We had a lot of them with our car this year and I think that’s not just reserved for Red Bull and this topic is certainly not just reserved for Red Bull. Of course, the dialogue between the engineers in their forums and within the technical working groups is an ongoing process. So I’m sure it won’t come as a big surprise.
His counterpart at Mercedes, Toto Wolff, confirmed that the matter had only come up recently, even though the team has been using the same drive concept since the start of the season.
“I heard about it for the first time a few days ago,” he says. “I would like a special solution, but that’s the modus operandi in Formula 1, business as usual. Inquiries are forwarded to the FIA. Questions are asked and that is completely normal. “
However, in a separate interview for Sky, Wolff added, “We love the fact that they spend time doing these things and doing research.
“We are very excited about every initiative you want to take and look at it. If that distracts another team, that’s good. “
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Dutch Grand Prix 2021
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