After just 3 Grands Prix in a very long 24-race calendar, several drivers have already had to use spare parts on their cars.
Due to a mix of reliability issues, rain-related crashes in Australia, some incidents in China, and others during practice sessions in Japan, Oliver Bearman, Jack Doohan, and Liam Lawson have already used the second Power Unit out of the four allowed for the entire championship. Most likely, after yesterday’s heavy crash, some components on Esteban Ocon’s Haas will also be replaced, but the official communication has not yet been released.
Yesterday, however, the FIA announced that on all Red Bull Powertrains-powered cars, both the electronic control unit and the batteries were replaced. A warning likely triggered by sensors during Friday’s extremely hot sessions led the manufacturer to prematurely use the second of the two parts permitted by the regulations. Mercedes finds itself in the same situation with Russell’s W16.
In an especially complicated start to the season, there is good news for Ferrari, which has not suffered any reliability issues—just like McLaren, Aston Martin, and Sauber.
In such a long championship, reliability will be a crucial factor in the fight for the World titles, especially because the regulations impose a limit on the number of components that can be replaced on a car before incurring grid penalties. In particular, the most closely monitored elements are those related to the power unit, gearbox, and transmission.
According to the regulations (Article 28.2), during the 2025 season, a driver may not use more than 4 ICEs, 4 MGU-Hs, 4 MGU-Ks, and 4 turbochargers (TC), 2 batteries (ES), 2 electronic control units (CE), and 8 exhaust systems.
Updated table of components used by each driver in 2025
(after the Japanese GP and the FIA document dated 12-04)
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| N. | Team | Driver | ICE | TC | MGU-H | MGU-K | ES | CE | EX |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 81 | McLaren | Oscar Piastri | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 04 | McLaren | Lando Norris | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 16 | Ferrari | Charles Leclerc | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 44 | Ferrari | Lewis Hamilton | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 01 | Red Bull | Max Verstappen | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 22 | Red Bull | Yuki Tsunoda | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 63 | Mercedes | George Russell | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 12 | Mercedes | Kimi Antonelli | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 18 | Aston Martin | Lance Stroll | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 14 | Aston Martin | Fernando Alonso | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 10 | Alpine | Pierre Gasly | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 07 | Alpine | Jack Doohan | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 31 | Haas | Esteban Ocon | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 87 | Haas | Olivier Bearman | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 06 | RBR | Isack Hadjar | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 30 | RBR | Liam Lawson | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 23 | Williams | Alexander Albon | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 55 | Williams | Carlos Sainz | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 27 | Sauber | Gabriel Bortoleto | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 05 | Sauber | Nico Hulkenberg | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
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