Tung: ''Understood that Mercedes wins four to five tenths with the Party Mode''

From the Italian Grand Prix onwards, qualifying mode will be a thing of the past. It remains to be seen what effect this will have on the competitivess of Formula 1, but racing driver Ho-Pin Tung is enthusiastic about the new rule.

Formula 1 wanted to start from the Belgian Grand Prix with the new rule, but Honda and Mercedes needed a little more time. From the Italian Grand Prix onwards, the engines can only be put in one mode for the whole weekend.

''In qualifying, teams will now be closer together, because Mercedes has always been able to make some gains if it could unscrew the engine full. It will vary from circuit to circuit, but I understand that without 'Party Mode' Mercedes will lose around four to five tenths. The loss will be smaller for other teams," said Tung to NU.nl.