Zak Brown dismisses compression ratio controversy ahead of Australian GP
Zak Brown has played down the compression ratio saga.
Zak Brown described the engine compression ratio as a “storm in tea cup” as his Mercedes-powered McLaren team prepares for the first race of the season.
After a pre-season filled with discussions of ‘compression ratio’ focus has switched back to on-track matters with the first practice sessions of the season but the McLaren CEO believes the controversy was always much ado about nothing.
McLaren boss cools talk on F1 compression ratio
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Formula 1 is never too far away from a rumour breaking out and in pre-season, Mercedes was the focus of the whispers.
Reports suggested Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains, who make the engines for the works team and three others, had found a way for their power unit to have a higher compression ratio when out on track and avoid FIA tests done whilst stationary.
The FIA has attempted to close off that loophole with a rule change that will come into place in June but Brown has suggested it was always less dramatic than Mercedes’ rivals would have you believe.
“At the end of the day, we’re going to bolt in whatever power unit, HPP and Mercedes put together for us, and we’re happy with that,” he said. “I do think it’s a storm in a tea cup. Obviously any advantage in Formula 1, people like to kind of say any advantage is a big advantage, and to a certain extent it is.
“But I’m not concerned over that whole issue.”
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As for the actual racing, Brown was of the opinion that Ferrari and Mercedes looked to be a step ahead and that McLaren needed to “catch up on our education.”
“I think that’s fair to say,” he said. “If I look at our testing, the knowledge that we got over the last couple weeks in Bahrain, we got a little bit smarter every day. The drivers got a little bit smarter every day.
“So I do think there’s probably a little bit of a knowledge advantage. I’m sure the equipment obviously has to be the same, but I believe it is the same but they’ll just have some greater earlier insight that we’ll just have to kind of catch up on our education. But I feel like we’re doing that.”
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