When Formula 1 adopted turbocharged hybrid power units for the 2014 season, one manufacturer – Mercedes – had been ploughing resources into its project longer and more intensively than anyone else. The result was almost five seasons of total dominance while rivals struggled to catch up – and in the case of Renault, you could argue it never did.
The thought that the forthcoming shift to new power units with more electrical deployment could be a case of 2014 all over again is what keeps several team principals up at night.
