Following an FIA directive that Formula 1 engines must be physically identical, issued in January, Claire Williams has expressed that she is fully confident that Mercedes will be supplying Williams and Force India with the same engine that it will use for the 2018 season. 

“Contrary to comments made recently in the press, we refute any suggestion that we have questioned the parity of the power units provided by Mercedes-AMG HPP,” said the statement, issued on Monday via Twitter.

“We are absolutely confident that the power units used by Mercedes, Force India and ourselves are identical in terms of both hardware and software.

“We have an excellent professional and personal relationship with Mercedes, and our focus is firmly on continuing the good work that we have started, as we prepare for the final test in Barcelona this week ahead of the new season.”  

The FIA directive states that engines must “run with identical software and must be capable of being operated in precisely the same way,” and “run with identical specifications of oil and fuel.”