Mercedes' 2018 Formula 1 power unit will be "pretty much all new" according to engine boss Andy Cowell, as the manufacturer seeks to extend its advantage this season.
Despite the Mercedes unit being ranked amongst the most powerful and efficient on the grid, as well as having almost bullet-proof reliability, Cowell says there is still room for improvement in almost every area.
"We've got ideas to improve the power," he told Autosport. "We've got ideas to reduce the friction in pretty much every area of the power unit."
When asked how much of the engine would be new, Cowell replied: "Pretty much all new.
"Every time you do an engine [update], you've always learned [something new]," he explained. "A lot of it is small, marginal gains on well-trodden areas [but] some of it is big, fundamental bits of learning, combustion progress, friction reduction, new materials that unlock areas where we've been struggling with reliability. And sometimes it's just a surprise.
"There's still gains to be had [with this formula]. It's a plethora of marginal gains, five millisecond gains."
With the scrapping of the token system last year, engine manufacturers are able to introduce entirely new specifications without limitation or penalty.
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