2026 Drama: Alleged engine loophole

[basti313]

we could have been witnessing Merc 1-2 for the rest of the season.

[Jambier]

Audi
Ferrari
Honda

Will get ADUO 1 according to rumors

[Stu]

https://i.postimg.cc/4x8ZRgbP/battery.png
how does mercedes recharge so much more even compared to mclaren?

My sources are whispering of "inside wheel battery charging"

The differential has a special design that transfers torque only from the inside rear wheel when the car is decelerating or off throttle in the turns.

This also helps the car turn better at the same time.

Is this legal? Should be. But my sources are wild for this one.

Operating something like a reverse torque vectoring?

[PlatinumZealot]

https://i.postimg.cc/4x8ZRgbP/battery.png
how does mercedes recharge so much more even compared to mclaren?

My sources are whispering of "inside wheel battery charging"

The differential has a special design that transfers torque only from the inside rear wheel when the car is decelerating or off throttle in the turns.

This also helps the car turn better at the same time.

Is this legal? Should be. But my sources are wild for this one.

Operating something like a reverse torque vectoring?

Some signs of it emerging after Suzuka, hearing how Lewis Hamilton's engineer was telling him to avoid excessive throttle and wheelspin exiting the turns.

So yeah, I think there is something in it, mostly about the differential settings and preventing wasted energy. In other words, the fastest differential settings through a corner may not be the fastest over the lap!! This is truly weird!!

Reminds me of when Newey was raising the back of the car up so high and using a concave diffuser. It normally goes against the conventional thinking if one doesn't know the minute details.

[Waz]

https://i.postimg.cc/4x8ZRgbP/battery.png
how does mercedes recharge so much more even compared to mclaren?

My sources are whispering of "inside wheel battery charging"

The differential has a special design that transfers torque only from the inside rear wheel when the car is decelerating or off throttle in the turns.

This also helps the car turn better at the same time.

Is this legal? Should be. But my sources are wild for this one.

Operating something like a reverse torque vectoring?

Man, that's clever. And as an Alonso fan, quite gutting. If Aston Martin had stuck with Mercedes, they would have been using the same power train, probably putting them fairly close or equal to the factory team.

[Waz]

My sources are whispering of "inside wheel battery charging"

The differential has a special design that transfers torque only from the inside rear wheel when the car is decelerating or off throttle in the turns.

This also helps the car turn better at the same time.

Is this legal? Should be. But my sources are wild for this one.

Operating something like a reverse torque vectoring?

Some signs of it emerging after Suzuka, hearing how Lewis Hamilton's engineer was telling him to avoid excessive throttle and wheelspin exiting the turns.

So yeah, I think there is something in it, mostly about the differential settings and preventing wasted energy. In other words, the fastest differential settings through a corner may not be the fastest over the lap!! This is truly weird!!

Reminds me of when Newey was raising the back of the car up so high and using a concave diffuser. It normally goes against the conventional thinking if one doesn't know the minute details.

You are talking about something different now. Wheelspin on exit is different to the inside wheel recharging the battery on entry or mid corner, when it's unloaded.

If I am correct, that would mean they've figured out a way to transfer the torque to the wheel with the highest load and grip level, while at the same time are using the unloaded wheel regenerate.

Is this even possible if MGU-K is being used to power? Is there something I am missing.

[dren]

The K can't power and gen at the same time. He is speculating they are using the inside rear wheel to gen through turns. Similar to how some production cars use brake vectoring to rotate the car in corners.

[dans79]

The K can't power and gen at the same time. He is speculating they are using the inside rear wheel to gen through turns. Similar to how some production cars use brake vectoring to rotate the car in corners.

Even that's makes no sense. The mguk is connected to the crankshaft, so to pull that off you would need differential braking. However active differential braking was banned after McLaren used it in 1997 & 1998. In 2024 even the potential for passive differential braking was clamped down on after it was suspected RB was using it.