Wolff denies Mercedes targeted by F1 engine parity ruling
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff believes the push for equal treatment of Formula 1 engine partners is not targeted at the Stuttgart manufacturer, as it has "never" limited the modes and parameters available to customers Williams and Force India.
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
In January, the FIA sent a technical directive to all F1 teams reinforcing the existing requirement for engine suppliers to give identical hardware to their customers by insisting that henceforth all cars will also have the same software and operating conditions.
Customer teams now also have to receive identical fuel and oil specifications as works cars, unless they have opted out by choosing a different supplier, for example because of commercial reasons
Some paddock insiders have suggested that the FIA’s move is aimed more at Mercedes than Renault or Ferrari, with Red Bull boss Christian Horner even telling the media to “ask Claire Williams” where the impetus for the clampdown came from.
However, Wolff is adamant that neither Williams not Force India have lobbied the FIA on the subject.
“I don’t think any of our customers was pushing for it,” Wolff told Motorsport.com.
“It’s not relevant for us, because the rules have been in place for a while that you must supply the customers with the same hardware and software from a power unit standpoint, and we’ve always done that.”
Wolff insists that Force India and Williams have always had the same operating conditions as the works team, such as access to special qualifying modes.
“Identical modes for the customers and us. There has never been any difference. They have the same mileage allowance as the works team, there is no difference whatsoever.
“That’s why we have no problem with that. If there is any suspicion out there, it certainly wasn’t anything that would have any consequence for us.
"We have the belief that sharing modes and engine calibration among six cars triggers a steeper learning curve for us than running different engine specifications between the customers and the works team.”
Wolff also insisted that the customers are never a step behind on Petronas fuel specifications.
“No, never. It’s the same philosophy again. We’re all using the same fuels, because we’re calibrating our engines on one spec of fuel.”
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