Mercedes have admitted facing “a few little issues” as they prepare engines for testing and the upcoming Formula 1 season.
Given the increased durability of today’s V6 hybrids, suppliers will try to use just a single unit through the whole of pre-season running in Barcelona, a goal that is more attainable in 2020 with only six days of running.
But with teams sometimes completing 150+ laps/ 750km per day, well more than any given day at a race weekend, ensuring optimum reliability is obviously a challenge, particularly with engines that are also early in their own development.
“Lots going on in Brixworth, lots of improvements across the whole power unit, on the ERS side, on the internal combustion engine side,” Mercedes engine boss Andy Cowell commented via social media.
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“As ever [we are] fighting a few little issues as we pull everything together.
“So, lots of work going into building the right spec, getting it long-runned and then providing power units to the teams so that they can fire up their cars – I think you’ve spotted one that’s fired up already!
“Then getting the hardware ready to go track testing at the car launch on February 14th, with a red rose, and then off to Barcelona with three cars (Mercedes, Williams & Racing Point) hopefully pounding round the track.
“Just six days of track testing before we’re off to Melbourne!”
Of course, while the “few little issues” comment obviously gets the attention, it’s likely nothing that Mercedes can’t handle and certainly isn’t a suggestion of any expected problems with the power unit when it hits the track later this month.
And as for those engines that will be used in Australia, Bahrain and beyond…
“With the race pool, a huge number of those parts are already made, assemblies going together and the challenge of getting everything to the other side of the world,” Cowell added.
“So, a busy time chasing bits of performance, getting the reliability there and getting a huge amount of hardware to the other side of the world.”