According to Mercedes, the advantage of Hamilton’s new engine will be short-lived
After impressing the paddock with its new engine, Mercedes believes that this power unit will soon lose its advantage, maybe as soon as in Qatar.
Following his masterful performance at the Brazilian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton reminded all those who doubted him that he will fight to the end to try to secure his eighth title.
If the British driver’s talent was certainly crucial in achieving such a feat, the new internal combustion engine installed on his Mercedes also contributed to the achievement. Lewis Hamilton sometimes overtook his opponents with a speed difference of 30km/h at the end of the straight line (notably against Sergio Pérez) and DRS doesn’t explain everything.
However, although this powerhouse, pushed to the limit due to the few remaining Grand Prix, has proven to be devilishly effective, it could quickly fall back into line. That is at least what Toto Wolff himself claimed.
« There is a decrease in power with any engine. This means that even if we keep running with the same engine until the end of the season, we will surely lose performance. We also have concerns about reliability, again, but we hope to have received the right answers and that we will go all the way through,” he explained on Motorsport.com.
If this new engine keeps its promises, it will not be too much to help Lewis Hamilton close his 14-point gap on Max Verstappen. He only has three races left to reverse the trend. Neither team now has the right to make a mistake.
