F1
Laurence Edmondson, F1 Editor 6y

Toto Wolff: Ferrari power boost has dealt Mercedes a 'severe warning'

Formula One

HOCKENHEIM,Germany -- Toto Wolff admits Ferrari's performance at the German Grand Prix dealt Mercedes a severe warning after the Italian team appeared to find another step in power at Hockenheim.

Mercedes claims the Ferrari had a 0.5s lap time advantage on the straights alone on Saturday after Sebastian Vettel beat Valtteri Bottas to pole position by 0.204s at Hockenheim.

"They have a great power unit. Huge performances," Wolff said. "We were looking good through all kinds of corners but we are not able to match their straight line performance. Valtteri was exceptional in the third sector, this is why he was even closer to pole position but we just have to look at things and try to improve."

Ferrari's straightline speed advantage has become a trend at recent races and Wolff says his team needs to understand where it is losing out

"[Ferrari's gains] were not expected but in Formula One you need to expect everything and we need to find out how we can increase our power output," he said. "I want to look at Ferrari but I also want to look at ourselves.

"I want to look at Mercedes and say is there anything that we've missed, how can we increase our power output on the ICE or from the battery or from the MGU-H, whatever we can look at in order to have more power because if we want to win this championship or stay in the hunt of the championship we've got a severe warning today in terms of what we've seen."

The majority of the Ferrari-powered cars received their last engine and turbo upgrades around the Monaco and Canadian Grands Prix but all six benefitted from a new MGU-K and energy store in Hockenheim. Wolff suspects the new parts may have offered another step forward.

"Yeah it is a worry but we have seen that they have been capable of doing it. Pretty much within a few races. Independent from the power unit because one car -- the Raikkonen car still has the first spec in the car -- Vettel has a new spec in the car and they've brought new bits to the track today that they've put into all Ferrari-powered cars and all of them bar one made it into Q3.

"So that is extraordinary or a really exceptional development and if others are capable of achieving that then we need to be capable of achieving that and look at all avenues."

Between the Azerbaijan and Monaco Grands Prix earlier this year, the FIA spent three races investigating the Ferrari's hybrid system amid suspicions its energy recovery system might be working outside the regulations. Once the FIA understood the system, the governing body found nothing wrong with the way it operates and Wolff said it was down to Mercedes to understand what Ferrari is doing before jumping to conclusions.

"I think it's very important from the mindset that you need to say 'what can we do in order to achieve that power output?', rather than looking over and say as a default reaction that it's not legal. We are in a situation that we are looking at ourselves, how can we achieve that and if we cannot achieve it, how can somebody else achieve it?"

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