Wolff: Ferrari's engine advantage 'unusual'
Toto Wolff says Ferrari's big engine advantage in 2019 is "unusual".
The Mercedes boss stopped short of joining those who are wondering if Ferrari might be pushing the boundaries of legality with its power unit.
But he is quoted by France's L'Equipe as describing the advantage as "an aberration".
"With stable regulations, it is unusual to see such discrepancies," added Wolff.
He said that with Formula 1 having become an "engine discipline", Ferrari's power advantage is a major problem for its rivals.
"Ferrari crushes everyone in a straight line right now," said Wolff. "It's very difficult to make up that deficit on the rest of the circuit. It's a situation we need to overcome."
To do that, he revealed: "We must look at every aspect of the engine. Are there innovations we have missed? I think this is undoubtedly the case. There is a certain gap that is almost impossible to catch up now, so we have to ensure we put a great chassis on the track, understand the tyres and choose the right race strategy. It is in these areas that our opportunities lie. But clearly, given the performance of their engine, we do not expect to dominate the next races," said Wolff.
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C'mon, Toto, MB had everything its own way for five years...was that "an aberration"? Nope, same way it's been since forever in our sport, spend enough money and you will win. Spending caps are a good idea, but does anyone really think that will stop the SAI referenced smooth operator from finding a way to spend the loot to get the trophy?
It's the rule of diminishing returns that Toto is explaining as an aberration. After years and years of the same rules the top teams will all have found the best ways to exploit the engines, but Ferrari have just made a quantum leap in performance. So either every other team (including Merc) have missed this "innovation" in all the years since Hybrid was introduced (unlikely) or Ferrari have done something questionable
"...Spending caps are a good idea,..."
This is a tough one to decide on unequivocally.
Spending caps should be, really, considered in context. In the final analysis it will revert to reconsidering the basic principles of this sport, its objectives and limitations.
As it stands currently, the governing bodies and regulators are regulating goals and results, rather than standards and basic rules. (For example current generation of cars are highly complex with "two sources" of power. Renault has demonstrated that it's better at optimizing one such source than the others and FIA heavily penalised Ricciardo for that. Wolff and some others are implying that Ferrari is doing the same and are looking to slap them with penalties.)
What is the point of innovation if you are not allowed to innovate beyond your competitors?
Morality is a poor principle to invoke in technology and "progress." (Everybody, world-wide, pretty much takes for granted flying by commercial jets. Most of those people, also, deplore war and suffering that it causes. Few, if any of these same people even bother to consider that were it not for the military jet planes, commercial jet planes would have never been born.)
I shall, again, suggest some basics that FIA should regulate: overall dimensions of the cars, maximum and minimum weight, maximum engine displacement, and maximum fuel consumption per quantifiable unit of measurement. On these basics the teams and constructors should be allowed to innovate and do whatever they choose.
Within these constraints constraining the budget itself may make some, limited!, sense. Otherwise it is a mere puritan whine playing on some manifestation of the sense of guilt. Hardly a competition and sportsmanlike behaviour conducive environment.
If Mercedes is faster than Ferrari Toto and his team are happy and every thing is legal.. When Ferrari is faster the Ferarri team is dishonest.