Formula 1's ban on engine-mode changes between qualifying and the race has brought Red Bull closer to Mercedes, according to the latter's trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin. Unanimously agreed to have the best chassis and engine on the grid, Mercedes have long benefitted from the strength of their qualifying-specific ‘party-mode', only to see the ace taken out of their sleeve when the FIA made the decision to limit engine modes prior to the Italian Grand Prix. And while Mercedes have won three of the four races since the ban, Shovlin suggests his team has had to work harder to maintain their advantage. “Red Bull are closer to us,” he told the F1 Nation podcast. 'In...
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