But it does come with a risk
After much deliberation, Mercedes nevertheless made the choice to replace Hamilton’s engine for a new one in Brazil, in order to be able to finish the season. It was the fifth bike of the season and therefore he had to take a five-place grid penalty. Because of this change, he still has reasonably fresh engines for the end of the season.
The engines at Mercedes have not been the subject of discussion for six years, as they have been the most dominant engine since the introduction of the hybrid era in 2014. Both on the hybrid parts and the internal combustion engine. That has changed this year. In particular, many combustion engines have been replaced. Mercedes opts for performance over reliability. That means they get a lot of power out of the engine in the first and second weekend of use. After that, the power just drops.
It is not known how much the power decreases
Of course we don’t know exactly how much power the engines lose every weekend. They start at a one percent loss, of course, and I think they end up at a ten percent loss in power. About 800 horsepower comes out of the engine. Each weekend they lose about 20 horsepower due to the wear and tear of the internal combustion engine.
The power goes down quickly, but on the other hand, the first weekend is insanely good. In principle, Mercedes could now put a new engine in the back of Hamilton’s car every weekend and thus take a five-place grid penalty. Then they would have such a strong car every weekend.
Changing engine every weekend, is that okay?
You just have to wonder how many times that would continue to go well. You are therefore in the busy traffic of the middle class and then you have to keep your car intact. In that middle bracket you always have more risk than if you start first or second. You then have cars behind you and in front of you. The drivers who drive there often also have less to lose, so that there are simply more pieces in the middle than at the front.
Read the full column by Robert Doornbos in TopGear 198 – in stores from 25 November
