Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has held discussions with client teams to address complaints about shared performance information. The move follows Mercedes' strong showings in recent qualifying sessions, including pole position for George Russell in the Chinese Grand Prix sprint race. Customer teams like McLaren and Williams had raised concerns over a knowledge gap from pre-season testing.
In the lead-up to the Chinese Grand Prix, Mercedes has sought to ease tensions with its engine customer teams after public complaints surfaced regarding access to vital performance data. The issue gained attention following Mercedes' dominant qualifying performance at the Australian Grand Prix, where the works team outpaced its clients by a notable margin.
Customer teams, particularly McLaren and Williams, expressed frustration over the disparity. During pre-season testing in Bahrain, only Mercedes had the latest power unit specification, creating what they described as a 'knowledge gap' that impacted their simulations. Williams principal James Vowles noted, "They have just been cleverer than we have, and it's our job to get on top of it. I'm just a little bit shocked by how much more clever."
McLaren's Andrea Stella added that discussions with Mercedes' High Performance Powertrains (HPP) about more information had been ongoing for weeks. He explained, "Because even in testing, we were pretty much going on track, run the car, look at the data, oh, that's what we have. Good, now we react to what we have. That's not how you work in Formula 1."
Mercedes maintains that it has met all regulatory obligations for data sharing and attributes its edge to overall car performance rather than power unit specifics alone. In Shanghai, Wolff convened a meeting to clear the air, aiming to reduce public rhetoric on the matter.
Post-meeting, Wolff stated, "At the end of the day everyone naturally tries to find some kind of advantage for themselves. Some do it a bit more behind the scenes, others through the media. But we discussed this again with the customer teams. It’s completely clear that nobody wanted to accuse anyone of anything. We’re trying to manage this within the regulations."
The session appeared effective, as McLaren driver Lando Norris adopted a more conciliatory tone, saying, "We've always worked closely [with Mercedes]. We'll continue to do it." Data from Australia highlights Mercedes' advantages in apex speeds and energy harvesting balance, suggesting customer teams must also enhance their chassis development, including downforce, to close the gap.
Alpine has become a new Mercedes customer this season, adding to the dynamics among the teams.