Verstappen does not back 'party mode' ban

Apr.6 - Max Verstappen says he does not agree that Mercedes' so-called 'party mode' engine setting should be banned.

The Dutch driver's Red Bull team boss, Christian Horner, has proposed that 'parc ferme' conditions apply to engine settings throughout qualifying.

It would effectively mean that Mercedes would not be able to use 'party mode' to get a considerable short-term boost that rival engine manufacturers cannot match.

When asked about Horner's concerns, Verstappen said in Bahrain: "I feel the same way.

"But at the same time, one must be honest and understand that Mercedes did the job better than everyone else. Why should they lose their advantage? That would not be fair.

"Otherwise, everyone should just use the same engine, and I don't think anyone wants that," he added.

But Verstappen said the FIA might consider a rule that, in future iterations of the engine regulations, makes 'party mode'-like settings difficult to use.

"But it should not be banned now, just because Mercedes is so competitive," he said.

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Leopold Pleijsier founded F1-Fansite.com in 2001 and has followed Formula 1 since the early 1980s. He writes about daily F1 news, race weekends, drivers and the sport’s history.

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