Audi F1 team principal weighs in ahead compression ratio showdown

Ahead of Wednesday’s expected PUAC vote and F1 Commission meeting, Audi’s Jonathan Wheatley says he has “absolute faith” that the FIA will do the right thing.

Formula 1’s all-new technical era has begun on a controversial note with Mercedes said to have found a loophole in the compression ratio regulations, while Ferrari’s suspected smaller-than-rivals turbo has given it an advantage off the line.

Audi chief expresses ‘absolute faith’ ahead of compression ratio showdown

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Both topics will, it is understood, be up for discussion in various meetings during this week’s final Bahrain pre-season test.

It has been alleged that Mercedes has found a loophole in the wording of the regulation regarding the compression ratio of the new engines, which has fallen to 16:1.

Article C5.4.3 states: “No cylinder of the engine may have a geometric compression ratio higher than 16:1.

“The procedure to measure this value will be detailed by each PU Manufacturer and executed at ambient temperature.”

Mercedes is said to have discovered a way to increase that ratio to 18:1, while still adhering to the geometric compression ratio of 16:1 when the engine is running hot under track conditions.

Early reports suggested that Red Bull-Ford had also identified the loophole, but it subsequently switched sides, joining Ferrari, Honda and Audi in questioning the Mercedes power unit.

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Formula 1’s Power Unit Advisory Committee is expected to meet this week to potentially vote on a new method to measure the compression ratio, just days before the 1 March homologation deadline for the power units.

It would take a supermajority to tweak the regulation, meaning Mercedes’ four PU rival manufacturers, Formula 1 and the FIA would all have to agree that a change is needed.

Audi team principal Wheatley says he trusts that the FIA will do what is right.

“I know that the powertrain manufacturers, power unit manufacturers, are working with the FIA very closely on this,” Wheatley told PlanetF1.com and other media outlets.

“I know what we’re being asked to test and show and measure and what have you.

“The FIA, I have absolute faith in them. We have absolute faith in their process. We know they’re a safe pair of hands.

“And FIA have always been here to make sure it’s a level benefit.”

Compression ratio isn’t the only issue facing Formula 1 in the build-up to the season-opening Australian Grand Prix – there is also race starts.

Launches emerged as a major contentious topic last week after the drivers practised race starts in the Bahrain pit lane, before lining up on the grid at the end of Day Three.

The launches left many worried that there would be chaos off the line in Australia.

The issue with the race starts stems from a key change to the engines with the removal of the MGU-H. That means it takes far longer for the drivers to get their cars into the ideal configuration for a race start.

The MGU-H helped cover up the turbo lag across the lower rev range, and without it, the cars are taking longer to prepare for launch than they did in the MGU-H era.

That is expected to be one of the topics on the table at the upcoming F1 Commission meeting. The FIA carried out a number of systems, processes and technical checks during the Bahrain test, and the matter is set to be discussed at the upcoming meeting.

Wheatley explained the problem, saying: “It is understood that by removing the electric motor from this big turbocharger that you have effectively huge turbo lag, which was more apparent in road cars at the earlier turbo development.

“Until you can use the electric motor, which is further into the start process, you have very little control over the turbo charging the inertia in it, keeping the revs where you want.

“You hear it. Even doing starts at the end of the pit you can hear that some teams are trying to find the right balance in that.

“But it’s a competition, teams will learn. If the FIA thinks it needs to stay.”

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