The former technical director of Ferrari or the boss of Mercedes Ross Brawn commented on the controversies that are being stirred up by some power unit manufacturers.
Ferrari’s former strategist and technical chief and former team owner Ross Brawn has commented on the debates that have flared up after news emerged that several power unit manufacturers may have found a way to edge the allowed compression ratio (which has been set at 16:1 since this year), which could mean a performance advantage in the new era of F1.
According to behind-the-scenes information, some manufacturers have allegedly discovered a gray area in the regulations. The engine is supposed to meet the 16:1 limit at ambient temperature, but could operate at a higher actual compression ratio after warming up during driving due to the thermal expansion of the materials. It was this interpretation of the rules that attracted the attention of the competition and subsequent discussions at the FIA level.
However, Ross Brawn sees nothing special about the whole thing.
“The way it was described to me, it just sounds like a clever interpretation of the rules,” he told Sky Sports News, adding that similar situations are virtually inevitable in F1.
“Every time new rules come in, someone makes a clever interpretation of them. That’s happened in the past and it’s happening now.”
Brawn, himself one of the masters of finding loopholes in the regulations – most notably in 2009 when his own team came up with a revolutionary double diffuser – also commented on the reaction of other teams.
“For opponents who feel they have gained an advantage, the best defense is attack. That’s exactly what we’re looking at right now,” he added.
