Mercedes engine 'loophole' defended by F1 team boss at Bahrain tests

Mercedes, and possibly Red Bull, have exploited 'loopholes' in the regulations with their power units, giving them an edge over rivals. Ferrari, in particular, raised objections to this approach.

Vowles defended Mercedes, arguing that teams should be allowed to push the rules.

Speaking to GPblog during the first day of preseason testing in Bahrain, Vowles stressed that the how good the Mercedes team are with understanding of new regulations.

The Williams F1 boss, who spent many years working with Mercedes, continues to maintain strong links with the German team through his current outfit, which uses the Mercedes power unit. This gives him a vested interest in the engine’s performance.

Vowles further warned the sport against penalising innovation, stressing that the power unit wasn't created in a short time.

"It is not a month of work, but several years of work to produce the PU to that level, and we as a sport have to take care that this is not a BOP series. This is a meritocracy where the best engineering outcome is achieved, effectively gets rewarded as a result, not punished as a result. I'm sure other teams are pissed off," he further explained.

"They weren't able to achieve what Mercedes did. But we also need to take care. Right now, I don't think there's a person in the pit lane who can tell you what the best PU is, and we're focused on one detail. My hope is that sense prevails and that we as a sport recognise that we are here to be a meritocracy. The best engineering solution wins as a result of it. And therefore, we are where we are right now. But I maintain our PU is completely within the rules," he concluded