Back and forth
After Sunday’s Australian GP, a new controversy is emerging within the F1 paddock: the one between the ‘customer’ teams using a Mercedes power unit – in particular McLaren – and the ‘factory’ team of the Stuttgart-based manufacturer. The papaya team principal has indeed suggested, not too subtly, a lack of information provided by Brixworth regarding the use of the new power units. “This is not how you work in F1“, the Italian manager let slip at the end of a Grand Prix that saw the only McLaren to reach the finish line, driven by Lando Norris, finish a full 50 seconds behind the Mercedes of George Russell, the race winner.
You can’t please everyone
Shortly after, the sly response from Toto Wolff arrived. To the journalists present in Melbourne, the Mercedes boss delivered a clear message: an engine manufacturer cannot manage to “please everyone”. “It is clear that when new rules are introduced there is a lot to learn – declared the Mercedes team principal – whether it is a customer using your gearbox or your suspension, or likewise your power units, the development curve is very steep. It is never possible to satisfy everyone. But I think the most important thing is to try to provide a good service”.
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Chapter closed? Hard to imagine. The issue could become topical again in just a few days in China, where the functionality of the power units could prove to be even more decisive.
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