How Mercedes F1 is Adapting to the FIA ‘Party Mode’ Ban at the Italian Grand Prix

The Italian Grand Prix would be an interesting race. The Constructors have been prohibited from using more than 1 mode in Monza. The imposition of the rule flags the “party mode” is obsolete. Mercedes has enjoyed immense success by playing the party mode across multiple Grands Prix. However, it is to be seen how they fare with a single-mode in action.

Hywel Thomas in a recent video unveils the mystery of the various engine modes. Hywel also speaks about the imposition of the technical directive and anticipates what would be the effect on Mercedes AMG from Monza.

“The technical directive 37 states that you can use only 1 mode from the start to qualify to the end of the race. We might use, currently 2-3 modes, from the high crankshaft mode to the medium mode.

“But, we’ve been asked to use all the same mode so that absolute party mode might disappear,” stated the Managing Director at Mercedes AMG High-Performance Powertrains.

Mercedes unsure how the change will affect them

Thomas doubled down on the uncertainty regarding the performances with a single-mode in action. The weekend race at Monza would be the first under the new directive. The results of the race could accurately represent the effect of the imposed regulations.

“We don’t know yet. Imagine some powerful unit manufacturers might find that they are going forward relatively to the others in qualifying but maybe it’ll be somebody else that gains a little bit more than the others in the race. We’ll find out in a couple of days in the Monza weekend.”

Coping won’t be too easy for the drivers. With only one mode to use for the entire duration of the race, changes are expected in racing strategy.

“The drivers will still be making switch changes. They’ll still be doing that in order to manage the energy in the pack. What has changed is that the layout of what strategies are on different switches that has changed slightly.

“So it’s quite a lot of work between the engineers and the drivers to make sure they understand what those changes are to make sure that they can optimize their races.”

Will their dominion remain untouched?

Mercedes has been ruling over the tracks for almost the last decade. Six double World Championships represents their supremacy in Formula 1. However, with the new policy on board, it is yet to be seen how they perform.

The Silver Arrows properly utilized the different engine modes and have prevailed over others. With the ‘party mode’ gone, other constructors would be looking forward to taking the fight to Mercedes.

Will this mode expose their weakness, giving the advantage to other constructors? The answer to that question remains clouded in mystery and intrigue. But not for long.