The Mercedes Formula 1 team has found a legal way to regain the benefits it got from a qualifying trick that was banned by the FIA earlier this year, The Race can reveal.
It is being achieved through what seems to be a bizarre behaviour by drivers Kimi Antonelli and George Russell of lifting off the throttle just before they cross the timing line on their quick laps.
As can seen above in a Silverstone sprint qualifying telemetry trace from GP-Tempo, which shows Antonelli (light blue) and Hamilton (red) – the Mercedes driver comes off the throttle before the line, in contrast to Ferrari's pole position man Lewis Hamilton who is flat out throughout.
The tactic, which only appears to have been employed by Mercedes so far at Silverstone but has now been spotted by rival teams, is aimed at ensuring its drivers maximise power on the run to the line.
It is very similar in concept to what Mercedes was doing at the beginning of the year when it achieved the same gains through a more technically complicated route – which the
FIA swiftly clamped down on for safety reasons.
