Cadillac boss Graeme Lowdon has issued a positive update on the team’s Ferrari power unit used for its debut Formula 1 campaign, affirming its legality.
F1 engines and their supposed legitimacy within the new regulations have been the subject of recent debate, with Red Bull and Mercedes’ powertrain operations facing scrutiny.
The respective manufacturers are said to have found an apparent loophole within the wording of the new rulebook, in regards to the engines’ compression ratio.
This means the possible gains found by the loophole could give the Mercedes and Red Bull-Ford-powered cars around three to four tenths of a second per lap.
It has led the other three engine manufacturers, Audi, Ferrari and Honda, to a meeting being held with the FIA about the issue in the coming days.
Cadillac intends to produce its own power units once the team has seasons under its belt in F1, so for now will use the Scuderia’s engines, along with fellow American team Haas.
Lowdon has therefore eradicated any doubt that the Maranello outfit’s engines are within the rules, telling Sky Sports News that everything is going smoothly.
“What I’m very confident and happy about is we have a fully legal engine,” he said. “With these engines, the combustion is not allowed to take place at a compression ratio above 16:1.
“Without going into too many details, we know that Ferrari have completely followed the rules where that stands. That gives us a lot of confidence.
“In terms of performance, we work and support our power unit partner to the absolute maximum. We’re very happy with the relationship.
“I can’t really talk for other people’s power units or how they’ve interpreted the regulation. But to me, it’s extremely clear it’s there in black and white.”
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