For Mercedes, Renault is at the base of Red Bull and Lotus’s performance

The 2013 Japanese Grand Prix, like the South Korean Grand Prix, saw a podium composed of drivers powered 100% by Renault. While the Korean race had shaken up the field and bunched up the pack, the Japanese race produced a race without any safety car intervention, where the top three – Sebastian Vettel, Mark Webber, and Romain Grosjean – pulled away and opened up a gap of nearly forty seconds over their closest rival, Fernando Alonso and his Ferrari.

The insolent success of the single-seaters equipped with a V8 engine from the diamond brand raises questions for Toto Wolff, the executive director of the Mercedes team, who notes significant progress: “I think what you can see is that Red Bull has taken a big step forward since Singapore and, in Korea, Lotus has taken a big step forward of two to four tenths of a second.”

« The question we need to ask ourselves is perhaps what they have done in terms of engine mapping. Is there anything of that kind? Perhaps the exhaust gas blowing strategy? Asks himself at Autosport, before adding: « In terms of development, in the last few races, we seem to be behind. Is it because there is something we do not understand in terms of settings? Or did Red Bull and then Lotus do something related to the engine strategy?

Toto Wolff’s questioning echoes, in particular, the reactions of several observers following the Singapore Grand Prix where hypotheses had been put forward regarding a different engine mapping setting for the Red Bulls, allowing for better control of the car’s traction. Indeed, Renault has always been at the forefront of innovation in this field, with systems allowing for better traction control – without breaking the rules – such as the use of four cylinders out of eight during certain phases of the race or redirecting exhaust gases towards the floor.

Fernando Alonso, when questioned about the suspicious noises heard when Sebastian Vettel’s Red Bull passed in Singapore, had debunked the crazy cheating theories: “I think the different engine noise has been there all year with Red Bull. It’s true that in Singapore it might be more evident because it’s a street circuit. But if you were at the winter tests in Barcelona, in the corners, the Red Bull had a different sound. So they’re using something different compared to the other teams, but it’s something that’s legal. They pass all the checks on Saturdays and Sundays during the races, so they’re completely okay and it’s up to us to do a better job and maximize the potential,” the Spaniard had stated.

On his side, T. Wolff prefers to finally question the potential of his team and the objective of finishing well in the championship: « There are three points to consider. First, did we miss something and if so, why? Secondly, we must balance the resources correctly between 2014 and 2013. And thirdly, we must aim for second place in the [constructors’] championship. This is our goal and we cannot let it slip away. »

As a reminder, Mercedes is currently in third place in the standings, with 287 points, 10 points behind Ferrari and 23 points ahead of Lotus. The second position will therefore be between these three teams as there are still a maximum of 172 points to be distributed in the remaining four races.