"A fundamental relook at things" - Mercedes engine chief on power unit changes post-E10 move

Mercedes High Performance Powertrains’ (HPP) chief Hywel Thomas explained the changes in performance with the F1’s new E10 fuel. The managing director of the Silver Arrows power unit division believes the new fuel will have a significant impact on the performance of their engines.

Outlining the challenges ahead in the new season, Thomas said:

“What we’ve got with the opportunity with the new car is to take a fundamental relook at things, and in some ways that gives us more opportunity and it sparks the enthusiasm, and it sparks the imagination of the engineers even more to make that installation great.”

F1’s new E10 fuel content will comprise 10 percent ethanol, which reduces carbon emissions, keeping it in line with the sport’s sustainability mission. The main challenge with the new E10 fuel is the significant loss of power that cannot be retrieved.

Explaining the effects of the fuel on their performance dynamics, Thomas said:

“The change to the bio-content being ethanol, what that means is: the engine is going to react slightly differently to the fuel. Some areas of the performance we are really happy with, and other areas… honestly, we are less happy. What we have to do is change the fuel where we can and the change the hardware of the PU where we can in order to maximize the effect of the things we do like and minimize the effect of the things we don’t.”

According to Mercedes’ Brixworth head, the new fuel will lead to changes in engine performance and combustion. Thomas believes it will be critical to change the engine structure to enhance performance with the new fuel.

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Mercedes engine division chief believes new E10 fuel is the biggest rule change

Mercedes HPP head Hyvel Thomas believes the E10 fuel is the most significant rule change on the engine side since the dawn of the V6 era. The Silver Arrows engine division boss explained that the new fuel required a lot of changes to the engines.

Describing the significance of the fuel change, Thomas said:

“The change this year to go to the E10 [fuel] is probably the largest regulation change we have had since 2014. So, it was a sizeable undertaking to make sure that we really developed that fuel and… shouldn’t be underestimated how much work that took.”

Rival engine suppliers such as Alpine, Ferrari and Honda have admitted to the challenges of the new fuel. Even a dominant engine manufacturer like Mercedes has had to rework its power unit to adapt to the E10 fuel.