Mercedes have excelled in the hybrid-era of Formula 1 to date – Thanks in part to their so called, ‘Party Mode’ where they push their power unit to its full potential. Photo:The Formula One Championship-winning Power Units of the last five years: Mercedes-AMG F1 M09 EQ Power+ (2018), Mercedes-AMG F1 M08 EQ Power+ (2017), Mercedes-Benz PU106C Hybrid (2016), Mercedes-Benz PU106B Hybrid (2015), Mercedes-Benz PU106A Hybrid (2014)
 
Engine modes are a set of control parameters that define how the internal combustion engine (ICE) and energy recovery system (ERS) deliver torque to the rear wheels. On the ICE side, the engine modes control parameters such as the mass airflow into the combustion chamber, air/fuel ratio, fuel injection and spark (when required) and therefore the combustion pressure, temperature and the amount of energy released each cycle. On the ERS side, the engine mode controls the energy store state of charge, energy store and associated control electronic system temperatures, electrical energy transfer to and from the MGU-K and MGU-H and the subsequent energy release of that energy to the driveline.
Currently, teams use as many as three modes throughout the qualifying and race sessions which permit different settings of these ICE and ERS operations ranging from the highest possible output to the most conservative.
As such, teams, such as the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula 1 team, who use qualifying modes (the so-called ‘part...