vortex that forms off a delta wing just in front of the sidepod, causing the vortex to be unstable and burst in certain conditions. The problem could be alleviated by trimming the wing, but this lost downforce." In order to resolve it Newey called for a chassis redesign, an almost insurmountable task in the middle of a season. Engine and transmission In the early 2000s, Ron Dennis adapted a mantra of pace over reliability, saying that he "would rather have a fast unreliable car than a slow reliable car." Changes to the points system for the 2003 season meant that there was greater emphasis on reliability, something with which Mercedes-Benz was struggling since the ban of beryllium. Until 2001, Mercedes-Benz used an aluminium-beryllium alloy to line their engine cylinders and a beryllium alloy in their pistons. This allowed Mercedes to build an engine with a longer stroke yet still rev as high as the Ferrari engine due to the increased elasticity of beryllium alloys, producing more power. During the 1999 season, Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn was quoted regarding the Mercedes engine, "With a longer stroke, Mercedes reaches the same revs we do. God knows how they do it." On 6 October 1999, the FIA moved to ban beryllium from engines beginning in 2001, despite Peugeot and Mercedes being the only manufacturers who were using beryllium at the time. Mercedes-Benz suffered as a result, with Adrian Newey saying, "The power we had in 2001 was no more than the power we had in 1998. We obviously need to improve on that." Mercedes-Benz would design a completely new engine for the MP4-18, an evolution of the FO series, dubbed the P spec. Estimates for how much power the engine produced ranged from 870 bhp to 888 bhp. The engine was mounted very low in the chassis, so as to lower the centre of gravity, but the McLaren mechanics described working on the engine as a nightmare; every time the engine was disconnected from the chassis, it would damage the car. The gearbox was also new: a titanium gearbox with casing bonded to carbon fibre parts, which resulted in a reduced weight compared to the MP4-17D. This gearbox, like the engine, proved treacherous to handle, being so fragile that there was uncertainty whether or not it would work after being taken out and put back in. Testing At the 2003 San Marino