© Steve Etherington for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.
Mercedes released a Q&A session with Hywel Thomas! Mercedes’ engine boss answers questions about the new engine, the 2024 season, and more!
Where has the focus of HPP been heading into 2024?
At this stage of the regulation cycle, there are limited opportunities for us to develop the Power Unit. We are permitted to make reliability upgrades where necessary, and to have a single software release each year, so we have been working on that. We have taken the opportunity to update the PU in both of these areas.
Despite the freeze, it is a big reliability challenge for all power unit manufacturers. Not finishing races is so detrimental to the final championship standings, so reliability is always a huge focus. And, of course, we are always looking at performance, and seeking out those milliseconds that are left to find within the regulations.
The other aspect that makes this more difficult is that the number of dyno hours are reducing year-on-year as we transition into a bigger focus on the 2026 rules.
Can you describe the work that has gone on between Brackley and Brixworth to help with that process for the 2024 car?
It has been very much business as usual, with the powertrain team here working very closely with our team-mates in Brackley to make sure we are reflecting any changes being made on the car from our side. This is to ensure parts don’t start bumping and clashing into each other and that the cooling systems are still going to work correctly.
We’ve had the dyno running in Brackley which helps prepare us for the shakedown and pre-season test. We want to be ready to roll out as soon as the garage doors go up because there is only a limited amount of time during the three days in Bahrain. Every lap is vital, so we want to maximise our running.
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How impressed have you been with teamwork between Brixworth and Brackley to build from the challenges of the last two years?
It has been about making sure all of us have all our pieces of the jigsaw. We are responsible and accountable for our own pieces. From our side it is about making sure we deliver a reliable product where we can find performance. We must make sure we are not limiting what the car can do. That is where we work in close collaboration with the team in Brackley to explore how we can use the engine to increase performance.
We need to be open to pushing our own boundaries. We are always looking to help, to determine what is our part of the puzzle? What is our part of the problem? There is that saying: ‘If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.’ That is what we are trying to do – to be part of the solution. It means everyone is energized to think that, when the car does get to where we want it to be, they have been part of the journey. Until then, we will take as much learning with every step as everyone else. That is what being part of the team means.
Teams are still able to use four Power Units per driver this season after a late rule change. How important is this?
We know that a power unit will not produce the same number of kilowatts at the end of its lifespan as it does at the start. We also know that not finishing races is hugely detrimental to your points scoring so reliability is crucial. The recent change to the regulations to allow us to have four power units across the season is helpful. But we know that with the longest calendar in F1 history, our ability to create the most reliable and performant product possible will still be tested.
Does the strong performance of the customer teams last season also give those at HPP a boost?
It does. There is a huge amount of pride in every single power unit we put together, in every installation that we do, in every race weekend that we support. There are a lot of people representing HPP embedded trackside at those teams. We take pride in being able to provide a PU that allows those teams to compete at the sharp end of the sport.
Looking ahead to 2026, can you update on how that project is progressing at the moment?
The regulations in the next couple of seasons deliberately restrict us, as more and more of the engineering and operational staff become part of the 2026 project. It is an exciting time. We get these regulation changes every decade or so. There will be a lot of people who have never gone through this before. Similarly, there are those of us who have previous experience, so whichever way you look at it, these new regulations give everyone a boost.
There’s a real chance to see what you can do from an engineering perspective. It is a wonderful period. It is hard work and there many setbacks as well as steps forward. But ultimately it is so energizing to be working on a new product, putting into place some of the ideas we have had over the years and seeing them come to fruition.
How exciting is it to be at the forefront of F1 innovation from a power unit perspective?
It is excellent to have rules that have attracted new manufacturers and have a clear real-world relevance. They are applicable to what is going on at Mercedes-Benz and in our research and development areas; for example, we have a 50-50 split between the combustion engine and the electric vehicle side, and that’s a fascinating prospect. It’s a chance to showcase our talent, our innovation, and the possibilities the sport can bring. It’s great, and people walk around with smiles on their faces as they tackle this project. We have been busy doing experiments and getting our teeth stuck into it, knowing that the final product will end up on the race track being judged by millions every other weekend.
Source: Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team
