Ferrari's agony over the PU

Well, well, well...I didn't know this but, according to BBC Ferrari engineers apparently had the same idea of separating the compressor from the turbo as Merc but...

The agony of Ferrari
Ferrari had the same idea as Mercedes, and their compressor is also detached from the turbine.

But the Italian team did not go as far as Mercedes in pursuing the concept. Their compressor is only about a third of the way or so across the 'v' of the engine from the turbine, rather than on the other side.

Perhaps Ferrari were worried about being able to control the vibrations in the shaft connecting the turbine and compressor if it was as long as the engine. Given this shaft spins at 120,000rpm, that is certainly a huge challenge, and one that Mercedes have met.

Whatever the reason, Ferrari's engine department have the agony of knowing that they, too, hit on the idea that has emerged as the key performance differentiator in F1 in 2014, but did not pursue it as far as they could have done.


Can Renault and Ferrari catch up?
It is difficult to get a completely accurate understanding of the comparative performances of engines in F1, as manufacturers are secretive.

But the teams have ways of analysing data to come up with a pretty accurate picture, and the general consensus is that the Mercedes is a long way ahead of Ferrari - about 40bhp - and that Ferrari has a small performance advantage over the Renault.

Mercedes' two rivals, though, are not in the same position.

Renault's difficulties in pre-season testing were well publicised and the French company admits it is behind on development.

Ferrari have similar issues, but their engine power arrives too aggressively, creating a driveability problem out of corners. This is exacerbating the Ferrari's lack of traction.

In addition, there is a lack of top-end power which is believed to be a result of the MGU-H not being able to harvest enough power to maintain its boost to the end of the straights.

Ferrari's problems with energy harvesting could well be influenced by the car's reluctance to generate tyre temperature - which means it is harder for the MGU-K to recover energy in the braking phase.

The teams with Renault and Ferrari engines believe they are unable to harvest sufficient energy to enable the engine to run on electric boost for as long during the race as the Mercedes cars.

This, at least in part, is probably a result of the more efficient use of the MGU-H inherent in the unique Mercedes engine design.

Red Bull believe they are losing out in all the key areas - outright power, fuel consumption and the use of the hybrid systems to boost power.

The problem for Renault and Ferrari is that there is a homologation process in F1 to prevent runaway development - and costs - during a season.

Manufacturers have to submit a specification of engine to the FIA pre-season and are only allowed to make changes on grounds of reliability, cost-saving and safety.

Software can be changed - and Red Bull and Ferrari both believe they can make big gains in this area. But hardware is much more heavily restricted. And there is no possibility of changing the fundamental architecture of the engine until next year.

Which means Mercedes' power advantage - or a large portion of it at least - will almost certainly last all year.