Feb.13 (GMM) Max Verstappen has mocked Toto Wolff’s claim that Mercedes’ controversial engine compression concept is worth only “a couple of horsepower”.
When told in Bahrain that the Mercedes boss had downplayed the advantage to “two or three” horsepower, Verstappen laughed.
“You can definitely put a zero behind that,” the Red Bull driver said, suggesting the true figure could be 20 or even 30 horsepower – potentially worth around three tenths of a second per lap.
“I understand what they’re trying to do. They’re trying to shift it to us, because we did so many runs on Wednesday.”
Verstappen is convinced the real picture will emerge in Australia.
“I can tell you one thing – just wait until Melbourne and see how much power they have,” he said. “Just wait until Melbourne to see how hard they’re going to go on the straight.”
The comments come amid a fast-moving political situation around the compression saga, with reports suggesting a supermajority of manufacturers together with the FIA and Liberty may now support tighter scrutiny. Mercedes could even be required to pass new technical checks from Melbourne onward.
At the same time, the works Mercedes team has been battling visible reliability problems in Bahrain, raising the possibility that performance is not simply being hidden but managed carefully.
It is Red Bull-Ford that topped the Bahrain speed trap, with Verstappen clocked at 336kph – roughly 10kph faster than McLaren and Ferrari. Some observers believe the Dutchman may even have lifted before the timing beam.
Rivals are taking note.
Carlos Sainz believes Red Bull has mastered the delicate compromise of the new ultra ‘lift-and-coast’ era.
“It’s not about going into the corners insanely fast and then using all the power on the exit – you have to bring both components together to be fast,” he explained. “It seems as if they don’t have to force the driver into a compromise.”
Williams boss James Vowles, despite his Mercedes alignment, was similarly impressed.
“We see a consistent six-tenths advantage on the home straight,” Vowles said. “We can’t even get close to that going into turn 1. Their speed through that corner is damn impressive.
“Red Bull, from scratch, with a completely new program, managed to develop an engine, ensure its reliability, and at the same time give it performance. They achieved all of this.”
Even reigning world champion Lando Norris admits McLaren – and its Mercedes power – may be on the back foot.
“We’ve done a lot of laps, but we’re definitely not quick enough,” Norris said. “I think today was the first time we realised where we stand in terms of pace.
“We’re not very close to their level right now. We’re certainly not bad, but we lack speed.”