There’s no doubt that Mercedes raised the bar when it comes to Formula 1 power unit innovation and has effectively owned the turbo-hybrid era since 2014. Its chief rival, Ferrari, has been overtaken by Honda, so clearly has to respond to catch up – and here’s how…

For 2021, the Scuderia has targeted multiple areas to improve its engine’s power output and efficiency but certainly the most intriguing is a ‘superfast’ cylinder head – which has been brought forward from its initial 2022 design – that could deliver some impressive gains. But will it be reliable?

One element that is truly crucial to laptime is eliminating the draggy nature of its chassis, and radiator design is crucial in achieving this. That will be one visual clue to look out for, how the sidepod packaging compares to the Mercedes, when its new SF21 car is launched.  

 
   Charles Bradley, Global Editor in Chief
   Motorsport.com

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