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Toto Wolff wary McLaren may “benchmark” Mercedes in 2021

Toto Wolff wary McLaren may “benchmark” Mercedes in 2021

08-10-2019 10:17
1

Bevan Youl

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has said that he is aware of the risk that the return to supplying engines to McLaren could lead to them creating a “benchmark” for the works team in performance from 2021.

The McLaren-Mercedes partnership ended in 2014 and after some troublesome years with Honda the Woking based team have started to stablish themselves with Renault engines.
 
But 2021 will mark the return of a once title contending team and with the overhaul of regulations coming in that year to completely change the cars and performance McLaren have returned to the Silver Arrows.
 
Wolff saw it as an advantage to have more power units out on the grid despite the possibility that McLaren may out-perform Mercedes.

"We learned it was an advantage having more power units out there," he said (quoted by Autosport).

"There's maybe a process and logistic question, because everybody needs to be supplied at the same time, but there is more upside in it going forward.

"There is a financial upside, so it's a cashflow question which is helpful on the power unit side.

"Overall, many pros. There is one risk in this: that if McLaren does a good job, they will push hard, and maybe benchmark us in a way to say 'that's the same power unit, and you guys are not doing a good enough job'.

"But where we are now, seven years into the hybrid era, we are ready for that step."

2021 could certainly shake things up a bit at the front of the grid with the return of McLaren-Mercedes.