Mercedes Engine Trick: Activates with an audible signal to the driver

The drivers lift their foot and gain On Friday at Silverstone it emerged that Andrea Kimi Antonelli and George Russell suddenly took their foot off the accelerator on their fastest lap just near the finish line. A decidedly unnatural and strange behavior, which however was part of a rather bold – but regular – use of the electric motor by Mercedes. By doing so, in fact, the two pilots had maximum energy for a longer time, without subjecting themselves to the 50 kW per second increase imposed by the regulation. The trick was particularly evident on Saturday, with Antonelli having an extra boost on the lap that gave him pole which gave him 11 km/h more than Leclerc exiting the final chicane at Silverstone. Mercedes engine trick: help from the garage The activation of this battery use mode must be done by the driver, with his action responding to the driver’s “negative request” required by the rules.
But the English people from The Race have discovered that Mercedes has created a system according to which Antonelli and Russell receive an acoustic signal in their earphones, which informs them when the battery reaches a pre-established level above 0%. And so once the signal is heard, the pilots suddenly lift their foot off the accelerator. A bit like the light signals that recommend downshifting.
The procedure was tested on the simulator and then taken to the track at Silverstone, obtaining satisfactory results.

Automobile Magazine – Formula1 English, News

2026-07-09 18:15:00