'Mercedes engine is the least powerful on the grid'
Friday February 17 2006
McLaren could be losing as much as 35bhp to their Cosworth-powered rivals ahead of the new season with their Mercedes engine reputedly the weakest on the grid.
According to a specially-commissioned survey for F1-Racing magazine, Cosworth have been packing the heaviest punch in winter testing despite being the only privateer engine builder on the grid.
While Mercedes' 2.4 V8 engine is estimated to be revving a maximum of just 710bhp, Cosworth's is apparently reaching 745bhp, with Ferrari and Honda at 730bhp.
The unreliability of the Mercedes engine was the principal factor in McLaren’s failure to win either World Championship last season and earlier this week - a week which also witnessed Kimi Raikkonen enduring yet another engine malfunction - Mercedes boss Nobert Haug admitted that the team was struggling to compete.
Some teams are ahead of us, which we wouldn't mind but only if we had another month to prepare," he told Motorsport Aktuell magazine.
"We have not had a dream start. We are behind where we want to be."
http://www.planet-f1.com/news/story_22132.shtml