The F1 Times have come out in favour of the FIA taking action concerning drivers starving themselves to cut weight. Their sentiment rings of a call for a risk-free nanny state, the same attitude as has burdened F1 with so many nerf circuits. When other teams complained that Red Bull's capricious use of DRS throughout qualies put their drivers in undue danger, my sentiment was, "the throttle works both ways." Same applies here: The fork works both ways. What's next, insist all drivers only use electric shavers to stave off risk of shaving nicks?
As I posted
last November, Renault and Red Bull already had for three years been in close coordination on the 2014 engine formula, particularly in matters of dimensions and conformation.
By the by, Mercedes are not the only team using a split turbo design. This is the Magneti-Marelli turbo/MGU-H unit Ferrari are running:
If two engine suppliers have found this design propitious, it stands to reason the third might have as well. AFAIK, the Renault unit has not yet broken cover. In any case, Magneti-Marelli made a public display of these devices last year so even if the idea had not previously occurred to them, Renault had ample time to consider the ramifications and react. But popular acclaim notwithstanding, Mercedes did not invent the split turbo design, nor are they its sole proprietor.
What's being glossed over is that Mercedes' advantages aren't confined to the sheer abundance of horsepower they reputedly are gaining from their cooler split turbo design. They are one of the kindest teams to their tyres, which is the opposite of what one would expect if their sole advantage were some rapacious, fire-breathing ICE. And particularly since theirs is not the grippiest chassis on the grid. As I mentioned earlier, a great deal of their success comes down to their employment of the MGU-H as a torque control device. They are far more efficient in the manner in which they apply their power to the ground than any other team, quite tellingly, even the other Mercedes-powered teams.
Renault have suffered a horsepower disadvantage in each of the four most recent seasons, yet still managed to secure the WDCs and WCCs. Having all the power in the world is no great advantage if you can't get it to the tarmac without unsettling your chassis or shredding your disinte-Pirellis.
