Mercedes Formula 1 team boss Toto Wolf has rejected Red Bull’s idea that his team is using a tactical tool to speed up a straight line.
Mercedes’ strong straight line has become a source of fresh intrigue as the world championship battle between the Brackley team and the Red Bull enters its final phase of the 2021 season.
The Turkish Grand Prix appeared to have benefited from a significantly higher speed than the Red Bull in terms of the downforce level used by Mercedes.
As the Brackley team unveiled new engine details after the summer break, its rival was confused by the scope of its profits.
“The speed of their straight line has taken a significant step lately and I think we used to be able to match them with smaller wings, but now we can’t get any closer,” said the confused Horner when asked by Motorsport.com where Mercedes’ current advantage lies. Has come from
Upon further analysis, Horner believes that Mercedes not only enjoys a power advantage over Red Bull’s Honda engines, but he is also using a trick device to increase the straightline speed, allegedly by lowering the rear of the car straight up.
“I think Mercedes is clearly optimizing the straight-line equipment they can do in that type of circuit,” Horner told Sky in Austin during FP1. “If you look at the back of their car, you know how low it was. I think [Turkey] played with their strength.”
Asked about Horner’s comments, Wolff, the head of Mercedes, dismissed them as “voices” about his team’s edge over the Red Bull.
“I think we fully recognize that this is a game where competitors always try to find out if there is some kind of silver bullet,” he said. “My experience is that there is no such thing, all these small profits, retail profits are added and bring performance.
“We’re trying to really understand our car better and add performance to lap time without listening too much to the Noise E.”
Asked about his explanation for Mercedes’ dominance in Turkey, Wolf claimed that Mercedes had found a “sweet spot” on how to set up a 2021 car.
“I think we were able to figure out how to press on the car’s sweet spot in terms of setup,” he explained.
“Today when you look at lap time, it’s a straightforward advantage and I think we found the right compromise between drag and downforce.
“And on the other hand, we were very fast through very fast corners, which is equal to the Red Bull on slow corners and good. So overall, the car is very good together.”