F1 engine oil burn intrigue ahead of Monza

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Mercedes has played down talk of fresh tensions between itself and Ferrari over Formula 1's ongoing oil burn controversy, after it introduced a new engine at the Belgian Grand Prix.

The FIA has published a series of technical directives this year in an attempt to clamp down on teams burning engine oil as fuel for performance gains.

Last month the FIA informed teams that any new engine introduced from the Italian Grand Prix would be allowed a maximum consumption of 0.9 litres of oil per 100km.

Any engine implemented before next weekend's race at Monza would still be allowed to use up to 1.2 litres per 100km.

Mercedes brought its fourth and final power unit of the campaign to last weekend's Belgian Grand Prix, with Lewis Hamilton claiming pole position and fending off Sebastian Vettel on Sunday to win the race.

That decision is understood to have caught Ferrari by surprise, although suggestions a gentleman's agreement had been in place between the two outfits not to introduce an engine in Belgium are understood to be wide of the mark.




Performance gains from the new power unit - which sources suggest were worth a tenth of a second at Spa - prompted fresh discussion over the issue of oil burn, but Mercedes boss Toto Wolff was confident it would not become a source of conflict between his outfit and Ferrari.

"We are fierce competitors and the relationship we have is that we stick our heads together if there is a problem, and we discuss it behind closed doors," said Wolff, when asked by Autosport if Mercedes' decision to introduce the engine before the new rules came into force could cause Ferrari any angst.

"It hasn't come up. We need to be careful that things are not made up in the public that are just not right, and not true.

"So far, I'm easy about it."

Wolff added it would be wrong to suggest the new engine was key to Hamilton's victory.

"As it stands you need to extract every single bit of performance, and it was particularly difficult, because we had to balance our qualifying performance versus the race performance," he said.

"And we've given up qualifying performance in the second sector in order to have that advantage in the race.

"So you have to add all those bits, those milliseconds that add up, to one number.

"That was good enough for us to win today. So everything adds up but I couldn't pick out one element that is responsible."

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There had been rumors going back to last year that Mercedes were burning engine oil to get a boost in qualifying - obviously it's true.

[robhart]

How do you get a performance boost by burning engine oil?

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The video explains it, just click on "Watch this video on YouTube".

[robhart]

I watched the video and I also googled it. The fact that F1 cars burn 5 litres of oil during a race was as much of a surprise as learning engine oil could be used as a fuel additive.

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Fuel and lubricants are an ongoing performance development avenue for all the teams but particularly the top tier.

[dustymojave]

Oil is flammable. Ever see the exhaust from a 2 stroke engine? Oil that we normally use for engine lubrication is lower octane than race gas, or even regular pump gas. But the oil they use is not what we put in the oil pans of our cars. So they use this oil to to add combustible material. Another form of fuel.

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Red Bull: Performance benefits of oil burning are obvious



MONZA, Italy -- Red Bull is certain any team running a higher oil burn level than allowed in the regulations will have a clear performance advantage over its rivals.

Ahead of this weekend's Italian Grand Prix, the FIA has confirmed all engines introduced from Monza onwards will be limited to an oil consumption level of no more than 0.9 litres per 100km. The subject of oil burning has been under the spotlight since the start of the year when the FIA reminded teams it is illegal to gain a performance advantage by using oil as fuel.

After its latest clamp down of the regulations, the FIA confirmed Mercedes' engine introduced at the Belgian Grand Prix -- the race before Monza -- will not be subject to the stricter regulations. That means the works Mercedes team can run that engine at the 1.2 litres per 100km limit legally for as long as it lasts, while title rivals' Ferrari's next upgrade will be subject to the 0.9 litre limit.

Red Bull was the team to originally raise suspicions of rivals burning oil as fuel. Chief car engineer Paul Monaghan spoke to the media ahead of this weekend's Italian Grand Prix and explained why contravening that part of the regulations could have a noticeable impact on car performance.

"The potential benefits are clear to us," he said. "But I can't answer that question as we don't investigate it, we don't pursue it. It's been clarified by the FIA that you can't use an oil as a fuel, if you do you're effectively in breach of the regulations -- so a change should make no odds.

"In the current formula we are allowed 100 kg of fuel into the engine. Yet we've got a turbocharger and a compressor which will squash in as much air as you want. Once you've established a lander target, a fuel-to-air mixture that your engine can run at, your next performance limitation is 'I've now run out of fuel supply'.




"So the benefit, if you can supplement your fuel supply, you remove potential restriction to your engine -- which is 'how much can you get into it considering you've got unlimited air supply?' So philosophically you can see the draw. In terms of magnitudes and effects, I don't know. But I can't answer your question because fundamentally it's not allowed, so it doesn't change anything to us."

Monaghan's explanation would support the idea that Mercedes' Spa upgrade could give the team a performance advantage in the tail-end of this season's championship fight with Ferrari. Though it is unlikely the team's sole motivation for releasing the Belgium upgrade was the fact it could circumvent the incoming clampdown, it has clearly given the team a loophole to exploit.

When asked if the "change in regulation" would have an impact on Red Bull's performance in the remaining races, Monaghan replied: "In a simple answer, no. To correct you, this is no change of regulation -- the prohibition of using oil as a fuel has been there since 2013.

"So it came in as part of the introduction of the new rules and was discussed in the Technical Working Group, Technical Regulations Meeting -- as it is now known -- between the teams and the FIA. The question was asked, the answer was given. So there's no change. What has been is a strengthened enforcement of that regulation for all. And as the rules state, it's down to the teams to demonstrate compliance."

The FIA has issued multiple technical directives to teams over the issue of oil burning this year and Monaghan says Red Bull has no doubts it is in compliance with the rules as set out.

"We've had oil consumption definition, we've been asked to provide how much oil do we carry on the car, there's been some discussion of oil types, and there's more strict application of an oil consumption limit now. We are happy to say to the FIA, 'yes we fulfil the requirement, yes this is the starting level, this is the ending, therefore our consumption over the distance is this'. If you look at the car's sensors we can estimate the oil level on the cars. So at mid-point, there's not a non-linear consumption, we don't suddenly use some and then stop. So for us, no difference."