(Motorsport-Total.com) – The first classification in the ADUO catch-up program (for “Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities”, that’s how the system works) caused great surprise: It was not Mercedes that had the most powerful combustion engine in the first five races of the new era, but precisely Red Bull.
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While Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar’s team doubted the evaluation and demanded a review, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff had so far held back. But at the Belgian Grand Prix, won by championship leader Kimi Antonelli, the Austrian now made an important statement for the first time.
“As a team, we give our best, we have the most powerful power unit, we have a strong car capable of winning,” Wolff told Sky. “Everyone gives their maximum to minimize mistakes, and yet they happen because we are humans at work.”
Because Mercedes driver George Russell has been struggling with a loss of power for several races, which was also noticeable in the Belgium qualifying. “We had a problem with all Mercedes engines that we lacked power on the straights, and that hit [Russell] hard – that is 100 percent on us.”
Mercedes has a reliability problem
The problem seemed fixed for the race, but already on the Kemmel straight the Brit was again slowed down by his power unit, which ultimately also led to the collision with Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton and Russell’s premature retirement. It is not the first technical problem for the Silver Arrows.
“We let Kimi down in Silverstone, where George got a podium that might have been better than the result should have been. Then one failed in Montreal, the other in Barcelona – that’s a bit the story of our season here. It is a technical sport, a mechanical sport.”
Red Bull sure: Mercedes has the most powerful power unit
In the power struggle over which manufacturer currently has the strongest power unit, Wolff’s statements are extremely interesting, even though Red Bull has now accepted that the results of the first ADUO period can no longer be changed.
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“Toto is right. I also think they have the most powerful power unit,” Red Bull team boss Laurent Mekies renewed his well-known assumption. “And certainly, they had a clear advantage on the straights again this weekend.”
“But it is not the first weekend. They have an advantage on the straights at most weekends. And this weekend it was somewhat bigger due to the characteristics of the track. We will see what happens. As you said, the second phase ends in Budapest in a week.”
Mercedes ahead in the second ADUO period?
It is unclear whether the balance of power has actually changed through the first update phase. Mercedes was two to four percent behind Red Bull in the first ADUO evaluation, which is why the Silver Arrows are entitled to an additional upgrade this year and another upgrade next season.
Ferrari, Audi, and Honda were classified as more than four percent behind and are allowed to use two upgrades this season and two more next year. However, the decisive factor for the evaluation is solely the performance of the combustion engine (English: “Internal Combustion Engine”, or ICE for short), not that of the hybrid components.
After the Hungarian Grand Prix, all eyes will therefore be on the FIA, more precisely on the results of the second ADUO phase and whether changes have been made that could lead to Mercedes moving to the top of the so-called ICE Performance Index.
If this is the case, Red Bull’s power unit would have to be at least two percent behind Mercedes for the team to be entitled to the additional upgrade opportunities. Red Bull team boss Mekies apparently seems confident that this is the case: “We will see what happens.”