On the engine side, Mercedes plays the offensive card at Monza

The Mercedes engine department had refrained from bringing major innovations since the beginning of the season, preferring to ensure the reliability of its showcase team. It seems a new strategy is being adopted from this Italian Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg will have new, even more aggressive options. The Mercedes engine will indeed gain some additional horsepower.

These innovations seem logical given the configuration of the Monza circuit: the top speeds here are the fastest of the entire season.

But according to paddock information, the main idea behind these modifications is not just a simple short-term power gain. At Mercedes, they are already thinking about the development for the 2016 season. A new fuel and a new lubricant system from the Malaysian partner Petronas will actually be tested this weekend in Italy.

And as such, Monza is the ideal circuit to test the power of its new engine.

However, these changes will be limited to Mercedes. The partners of the German engine manufacturer, Williams, Lotus, and Force India, may only potentially benefit from them later in this 2015 season. Mercedes is being very cautious with its clients here, certainly to avoid incurring the wrath caused by a lack of reliability, as was the case with Renault earlier this season. Innovations and reliability do not always go hand in hand in a car…

Until now, very discreet about managing its engines this season, Mercedes has made a bold move with this offensive action. It becomes the first team to have used all its engine tokens. At Honda, there are only 4 tokens left. Ferrari and Renault, on the other hand, are holding back with 10 and 12 tokens still available, respectively.

This Friday is therefore very important: it allows for the assessment of the innovations brought by these different engine manufacturers in real-world terms.