Mattia is trying to save face for why they’re going to end up being the slowest on the grid
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Hoffman900 wrote: ↑04 Feb 2026, 02:57Mattia is trying to save face for why they’re going to end up being the slowest on the grid
This - Toto was responsible for Ferrari's 2019 fuel flow trick being banned and now Mattia wants payback. I'm pretty certain Audi aren't at a 16 CR at operating temp and probably have prototypes testing that push this closer to what Mercedes and RBPT are doing. Wheatley probably knows what RBPT learned from Mercedes so Audi will know too. They'll try to get the ADUO and jump forward in engine performance.FW17 wrote: ↑04 Feb 2026, 03:53Hoffman900 wrote: ↑04 Feb 2026, 02:57Mattia is trying to save face for why they’re going to end up being the slowest on the grid
Audi knew they were on the back foot when Mattia joined and Sauber takeover did not go to schedule that they need more time.
But this one is personal between Mattia and toto, This is continuation of 2019 and 2022. Saving face is secondary.
You have an engine manufacturer ask out of the blue, if the measurement will continue in ambient temperature as it was, then the FIA who is not influenced from specific people thought "Why they ask us? Let's change the ruling so no one will burn his hands try to measure with a hot engine".FittingMechanics wrote: ↑03 Feb 2026, 20:57I think this is why it is unlikely FIA will clamp down on this. They were obviously asked to clarify the testing procedure and went out of their way to specify it is ambient. They could have left this ambiguous. The fact that they did not means that they understood this could happen and okayed it.
This is not a personal issue. If it were, then Toto and Binotto do not belong at this level of responsibility, where feelings must be set aside and objectives achieved. This is clearly a matter of regulatory compliance. And if a compression ratio doesn't meet all the regulatory requirements, then the unit price is non-compliant.
Same way Mosley hatted Dennis, these things do happen in F1, but sometimes they can destroy a lot of people around them but not themselfs
They do tho. The rules say at ambient. If a manufacturer didn't advantage the ambiguity of the rule, they didn't do their job, and it's on them. The end. See you in 2027.Schumix wrote: ↑04 Feb 2026, 10:53This is not a personal issue. If it were, then Toto and Binotto do not belong at this level of responsibility, where feelings must be set aside and objectives achieved. This is clearly a matter of regulatory compliance. And if a compression ratio doesn't meet all the regulatory requirements, then the unit price is non-compliant.
The "ambient" part was added in October. By that point I'm sure it was too late to change the whole engine designs. So it looks more like a change to make sure Merc was not in breach, than to open up complete engine changes that late.
October, huh? Seems like George knew."However, Mercedes’ confidence in their package predates those runs. The team believed they had produced something special, with George Russell saying back in October that he felt his strongest opportunity to win the 2026 drivers’ title would come with Mercedes."
As i said again, this is dust in the eyes. The other engine manufacturers will start with a backstep the 2026 championship and we will see from 2027. Exactly the opposite of what is happening with all the other manufacturers.koolway wrote: ↑04 Feb 2026, 11:58Don't forget they included the Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities (ADUO).
They will assess ICE performance after 5 races and allow upgrades to be made.
Then will all know the various "reliability" upgrades...
So, if they're behind, it won't be a year till they start to play catch up...
It certainly looks that way. Wolff is always working in the shadows, never trust a smile.