Mercedes' qualifying energy method could be risky for rivals to copy.

At Silverstone, Kimi Antonelli and George Russell lifted before the timing line at the end of qualifying laps. The approach let Mercedes deploy more electrical power earlier on the following straight, and rivals noticed it through telemetry after sprint qualifying.

The method works around F1's energy deployment ramp-down rules, which limit how quickly battery power can reduce on a straight. The FIA considers the approach legal, but copying it incorrectly could risk disqualification rather than only lost lap time.