Mercedes and Renault: towards a protest against Ferrari?
A different choice in terms of safety, around the turbo V6 engine, by Ferrari could lead to a complaint from the other two engine manufacturers, Mercedes and Renault, in Melbourne.
After Lotus’s horned nose, McLaren’s butterfly suspension, will the next controversy revolve around the Ferrari engine? Auto Motor und Sport reveals that an official protest could be filed with the Grand Prix of Australia stewards in Melbourne by Mercedes and Renault against the third engine manufacturer on the grid, Ferrari.
The reason? An engine hood that is too light compared to the V6 Turbo units from Mercedes and Renault. Both manufacturers believe that such a configuration would present a safety risk in the event of a major failure of the hybrid unit. This would directly contravene Article 5.18.5 of the technical regulations: « Measures must be taken to ensure that, in the event of a turbine wheel failure, any significant debris is contained within the car. »
However, the FIA would not have judged that Ferrari’s device went against this rule and would have deferred everyone to the next season. The Scuderia has developed a system that automatically cuts off the turbo at the slightest sign of failure. Such a protection system would then allow for a lighter engine cover. A difference of around 3kg exists between the Renault and Mercedes parts and those of Ferrari.
« Mercedes and Renault are not satisfied that the FIA is satisfied, » summarizes Michael Schmidt, a correspondent for the German publication. « Either Ferrari constructs a stronger engine cover, or there might be a protest in Melbourne. » The threat of a claim may have had an effect on the Maranello team: « In the paddock, it is now rumored that Ferrari is strengthening its device to ensure its success, » reports Mr. Schmidt.
The other possibility mentioned would be the adaptation of the Mercedes and Renault hybrid engines to adopt such a solution. However, since the engine homologation must take place by February 28, at the latest, the timeframes would be too short to consider such a solution.
As a reminder, since the season has not officially started yet, the first claims can only focus on the initial results in /f1/actualite/16898-lotus-le-nez-a-deux-cornes-une-solution-habile-et-legale.html, after the Melbourne Grand Prix takes place. To be continued, then…
