Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies commented on Mercedes’ Toto Wolff’s statement after the Formula 1 Belgian GP on Sunday (19). The Austrian executive stated that the German team has the strongest power unit on the grid while explaining the problems faced by George Russell on the Spa-Francorchamps straights.
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According to Wolff, all Mercedes engines suffered from lack of power during the weekend, harming the British driver’s performance. “We had a problem on all Mercedes engines, with lack of power on the straights, and that hurt him a lot,” Wolff told Sky F1. “It’s 100% our fault, but you know, we are doing our best as a team. We have the most powerful power unit.”
The statement caused a stir as it came after the FIA (International Automobile Federation) decision on the ADUO (Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities) system, which pointed to the Red Bull engine as the strongest on the grid and restricted its additional development this year. The system, however, only considers the combustion engine.
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When asked about Wolff’s statement, Mekies agreed with the rival and acknowledged Mercedes’ advantage on the straights: “I think Toto is right. I also think they have the most powerful power unit. Certainly, they had a considerable advantage on the straights again this weekend. But it’s not the first weekend, they have an advantage on the straights most weekends. This weekend, it was a bit more due to the track sensitivity.”
Mekies said that the upcoming races could show how the scenario will evolve, especially with the end of the second development period in Budapest: “So we will see what happens. As you said, the second period ends in Budapest in a week. We will see what happens.”
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