Toto Wolff has dismissed claims from rival teams over the legality of Mercedes’ new engine, insisting it is within the regulations. The Mercedes team principal said that the onus lay with the other manufacturers who had missed an opportunity and that they should get their “shit together”.

The row over whether Mercedes and Red Bull have stolen a march on the opposition in their engine design has dominated the buildup to the new season and Wolff notably did not rule out other teams protesting against the legality of their engines after they are used competitively for the first time at the Australian Grand Prix on 8 March.

The disagreement centres on Mercedes and Red Bull having taken advantage of the regulations in increasing the compression ratio of their engines, set at 16:1 but measured when the car is at rest. It is believed both teams have made use of the thermal expansion of certain components to increase the compression ratio to as much as 18:1 when the car is running – equating to potentially as much as 0.3sec advantage in pace over a lap – but remain within the rules when the ratio is measured while the car is “cold”.

The other engine manufacturers, Audi, Ferrari and Honda, had written and complained to the sport’s governing body the FIA, which discussed the issue at a meeting held before the first test.

Speaking at the official launch of Mercedes’ new car, the W17, which was fast and reliable in the first test at Barcelona last week, Wolff bullishly accused his rivals of having missed a trick.

“I just don’t understand why some teams concentrate more on others and keep arguing a case that is very clear and transparent,” he said. “Communication with the FIA was very positive all along and it was not only on compression ratio but on other things, too. It is very clear what the regulations say, and very clear what the standard procedures are.

“Just get your shit together. They are doing secret meetings, and sending secret letters and trying to invent ways of testing that don’t exist. Maybe you want to find excuses before you have started?”

The meeting between the manufacturers and the FIA did not resolve the issue and if Mercedes and Red Bull do enjoy an advantage they will take it into the new season.

The Red Bull technical director, Ben Hodgkinson, has been similarly adamant that his team are within the rules and equally dismissive of their rivals, noting: “Any engineer that doesn’t understand about thermal expansion doesn’t belong in this sport, doesn’t deserve to be an engineer really.”

Wolff was just as unwavering in his stance and maintained that the FIA considered the engine adhered to the regulations.

“The power unit is legal,” he said. “The power unit corresponds to how the regulations are written. That’s how we see the world today, and that’s what the FIA said. That’s what the president of the FIA [Mohammed Ben Sulayem] said, and he knows a bit about that.”

However, when asked if he anticipated a protest in Melbourne after the race, he did not rule out action from rival teams. “The power unit corresponds to how the checks are being done. The power unit corresponds to how these things are measured in any other vehicle. Everything else I can’t judge upon. Let’s wait and see, but we feel robust.”