'Red Bull and Ferrari discover how Mercedes engine and gearbox connects'

At the moment, each race stable is developing its own parts. Think of gearboxes and suspensions. Developing and building these costs a lot of money and it has been proposed to drive with standard parts in the royal class of motorsport. This is cheaper, but ensures that the top teams can no longer distinguish themselves from the smaller formations in this area.

During the meetings between the team bosses about a new Concorde agreement Mercedes would have kept a remarkable silence, while Ferrari and Red Bull Racing have their reservations about the idea of standard parts. Nor would they be directly sympathetic to the further lowering of the budget ceiling.

Looking away at Mercedes

The previously mentioned German medium is still a tip of the veil. "Reportedly, Ferrari and Red Bull have discovered that Mercedes connects the engine and gearbox with only four bolts, yet manages to make this connection torsionally rigid. Ferrari and Red Bull-Honda need six bolts. The result is a wider transmission. This can be an aerodynamic disadvantage. Both teams therefore want to build (themselves) new gearboxes for 2021."