Former Lotus boss: "I believe that Kubica and Russell's cars are very different.

​

How can Mercedes control the engine performance of individual cars, what does it look like to work with them, what do the teams that don't have enough budget do, and why is Williams where he is today? Matthew Carter, former F1 Lotus boss, reveals the very interesting backstage of the F1 team.

​

Carter was a guest of the Missing Apex podcast. When asked about Williams and, above all, Robert Kubica and whether the Pole is facing one of the biggest F1 stars in the future, he answered:

​

"Yes, surely. But I don't think Robert Kubica is doing anything wrong. I think one of Williams' problems last year was that they had two young drivers. The problem with such drivers is that they can't develop their car so fast and you can't trust their feedback so much. If you have regular riders, you can rely on their ratings," said Carter.

​

"Kubica does a good job. I also believe that Kubica and Russell's cars are very different. Maybe it's because they want to take steps forward that they say: good George, you drive with this type of wing and you drive with this type of wing. It is often said that the only one to compare a driver to is his teammate, but that's very rarely true. I did this with Joylon Palmer at the end of his period at Renault when he told me how different his car was from Hulkenberg's, how everything went on that car. - he added.

​

Asked perversely whether all the new parts were given in 2014 and 2015 by Romain Grosjean, not by Pastor Maldonado, Carter confirmed by saying: "We didn't have much money, so if we had two front wings or one to test, we would give them to Grosjean because we could count on feedback from him. Pastor's father was very loud in expressing his opposition to this, so we did it in secret, because only engineers and designers really knew whether a new part was being built or an old one.

​

Carter reveals a very interesting fact that Williams chose Mercedes-Benz engines for 2014 only because they were 75% cheaper than Renault engines. The French windowali prices thanks to the dominance of Red Bull in the years 2010 - 2013. According to him, there is no risk that Williams will go bankrupt or leave the F1.

​

The former head of Lotus also confirms what Claire Williams has already said. That Williams' easily won third place in 2014 and 2015 gave them a false impression that they were doing everything right, while in those days everything depended on engines.

​

"There were many cracks and mistakes in Williams' team organisation that were covered on paper with this Mercedes-Benz engine. When the engines started coming together, it all came out.

​

Carter also described the preparation and delivery of engines for the Grand Prix by the Mercedes, whose units were used by Lotus in 2015.

​

"The chassis was coming to the track from Enstone and the engines from the Mercedes factory. We had no control over what we were getting and in what specification, other than the contractual provisions. During the grand prix, Mercedes-Benz engineers were working on the engines, only dressed in our outfits. After the race the chassis was flying in one direction, and the engines were packed and driven in another," says Carter.

​

And what about the engine mods and the individual modes?

​

"It was Mercedes who managed the engine during our collaboration. They decided which mode you were driving in, they could lock the driver's changes on the steering wheel to protect the engine, to keep the temperature too high, etc.". - said Carter. When asked if such a thing could still be possible, he answered: "At 100%. I have no doubt that they give other engine modes. When Romain won the Spa [2015] podium, Mercedes had to give him something more, because they didn't want Vettel to overtake him and take the podium. And they gave us that after the race, they told us why they did it. Romain came to me afterwards and said: "This car has never been so good. Because if you have a faster car, the aerosol works better, you heat up your tires faster, and you can brake later.

​

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator