Simtek wrote:go_Rubens wrote:Ferrari and Renault need to realize that they cannot win all the time. Both of whom completely screwed themselves over developing their power unit while Mercedes did a fantastic job with the new regulations. Whose fault is that?
Mercedes have every right to deny Ferrari and Renault a relaxation on the engine freeze. The regulations are the same for everyone and Mercedes was completely fine interpreting the regulations well. Ferrari and Renault cannot say they did the same. They need to realize that being a sore loser and bitching every other second is doing nothing to help them catch up. Use the offseason to your own advantage, instead of nonstop complaining that "Oh, Mercedes have got more upgrades, maybe an extra 70bhp for them." C'mon guys. F1 requires more work than complaining to get your way. Work in order to catch up the way the regulations mandate instead of asking for changes, because the regulations are the regulations. I'm fed up with reading the complaining shite out of Red Bull and Ferrari.
It's Formula One, they'll do just about anything if it has even the slightest chance of gaining an advantage. The engineers work behind the scenes to extract the best possible performance while their bosses complain in public about their rivals having an "unfair" advantage in the hopes of changing the regulations in a way that benefits them. That's how F1 works.
What will be interesting is how Honda manages to perform when the 2015 season comes round an the cars are racing in anger, because that could shift the relative power balance between the manufacturers.
If Honda can put themselves on a comparable footing with Mercedes right from the start, you would anticipate that Honda would probably then back Mercedes's position and lobby against a relaxation of the regulations. After all, not only would they potentially then have a competitive advantage locked in for themselves, I could also see them using it as an opportunity to steal customers from Renault or Ferrari - for example, Haas could be one potential target given that he has hinted he did consider other engine manufacturers before signing a deal with Ferrari.
On the other hand, if Honda were to find themselves on a level that was closer to that of Ferrari or Renault, you would assume that they would join them in lobbying the FIA for a relaxation of the homologation rules. I could see the FIA become a little concerned if they had three manufacturers pressuring them to adopt laxer regulations, which might be enough to tip the balance against Mercedes - after all, it would be one less team supporting them in the Strategy Group, and one more voice leaning on both the FIA and FOM to relax the regulations. The FIA might also take it as a sign that they might need to relax the homologation requirements to draw in new manufacturers, which would again potentially weaken Mercedes's standpoint on the issue.
(Tony Jardine, 1988)
