Collins: Teams believe Mercedes still have the strongest power unit

The Spanish Grand Prix is in a 'normal season' always the first European race and therefore often the place where teams present their first major updates. In terms of the updates, this seems to be the case again and Sam Collins has some news about the state of the engines.

Formula 1 teams try to come up with updates throughout the year to improve their cars, but there are always set moments in the year where everyone comes up with updates. That is actually always the Spanish Grand Prix because everyone has a lot of data from that circuit. With a 'coronavirus calendar', the teams still come back here with their updates.

Mercedes still the strongest

"Absolutely, teams just preplanned it, and that's actually always during the fourth race in Spain. I just spotted that Sergio Perez is testing a new driver's seat. They do a lot of testing at Red Bull, mainly around the airbox which suggests engine development, but that is not allowed. So I don't know what exactly they are doing there," says Collins in the Weekend Warm-Up.

The Tech expert from Formula1.com has also received new information about the engines. "We have been told by other manufacturers that Mercedes still has the most powerful power unit. That is not a big shock, because it is Mercedes they are leading the world championship. But they only have the greatest power if they use their full hybrid system. If they go full noise on the MGU-K, that's where the advantage is not just on the V6. Then Honda, Ferrari and Renault, but it's very close," concluded Collins.