McLaren boss Andreas Seidl confesses he saw nothing special in the ‘spicy’ Mercedes engines which were used in the final months of the 2021 season.
Mercedes brought out an engine upgrade for Lewis Hamilton in the 2021 Brazilian Grand Prix. With that engine, the seven-time world champion was able to blitz his way through all opposition that came in his way in the Sao Paolo GP.
The new engine drew lots of attention towards the newfound speed which the Mercedes would boast of. They once again used that engine for the last two races in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi respectively.
The new ‘spicy’ engine proved to be a thorn in the side of main rivals Red Bull and Honda whenever it was utilised. However, customer teams of Mercedes power units did not see the same sudden jolt in their own speed.
McLaren’s team principal Andreas Seidl notably said that he did not see anything special in the ‘spicy’ engines. Not just that, he also saw no difference in the new engines Mercedes were using and in those that were supplied to McLaren.
“When I look into the data, and we compare the data from other teams, I don’t see that there was ever an extraordinary spicy engine around.”
Also read: Max Verstappen claims he needed a Mercedes W12 to wrap up the season much earlier
Was the ‘spicy’ engine really that hot?
Seidl then put up the question of whether or not the new engine that was put into Lewis Hamilton’s car was really something out of the ordinary.
“I guess that’s a question for Toto. What does that wording actually mean? In the end, we were happy with what we got supplied the entire year from Mercedes. It is clear that it’s the same for every power unit manufacturer.”
The German acknowledged the aspect of reliability vs speed which many claimed was an issue that Mercedes was going through during the 2021 season.
“Whenever you install a new engine compared to one that is high mileage, there is a difference in terms of power because of the natural degradation engines are having. That can cost some tenths.” said the team principal.
McLaren didn’t use the spice despite Ferrari’s new speed
McLaren was locked in an intense battle for third place in the constructor’s championship with Scuderia Ferrari almost throughout the season. This was until the final triple-header of the season where McLaren lost their grip over the battle.
Ferrari, having put in new engines into both their cars got the better of McLaren towards the end of the season. Despite the newfound pace of the Ferraris, Seidl and the rest of the McLaren team did not think it was necessary to fit new engines for themselves.
Seidl conveyed that at no point in the season did the team feel that they needed to take more than a fourth engine.
“To be honest, we set out a plan together with Mercedes at the beginning of the season how we want to use the engines,” said Seidl.
Also read: Mercedes fires up its F1 car for 2022; first among the whole grid
