Mercedes non-executive chairman Niki Lauda believes Ferrari’s engine department has managed to find enough of an improvement over the winter to put it on par with the Mercedes unit.
Throughout 2014, it was clear that the Mercedes power unit has a power advantage over both Ferrari and Renault. Whilst the latter still lags behind, Ferrari has closed that gap according to the Austrian.
“Ferrari has closed the gap from last year to this year to nearly zero,” he said in an interview with Red Bull Content Pool.
“I think they increased their engine by about 45 horsepower, so my estimate at the moment is that they have the same power Mercedes has.
“So now the difference depends on the car, and what the drivers do.”
He believes the season is far from over amid reports Ferrari is planning a huge upgrade for the Spanish Grand Prix this weekend, not only to its engine, but also the SF15-T.
“The season is not finished – we’ve only had four races and there will be close racing all the way through the season.
“Ferrari is very strong, there is no question about it, and as a racing team you should never think that nobody can catch you – that is a big mistake.”
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