Ferrari and reliability of power unit 066/12: a key factor that is starting to “make an impact”. How Ferrari improved reliability of power unit 066/12 and is starting to "make an impact".

Ferrari and the power unit 066/12, quality and reliability. The total freeze on development of power units since September 2022, both in terms of hybrid and internal combustion unit parts, forced some teams to resort to the derogation offered by the International Federation, which is useful for addressing structural vulnerabilities in engines that have shown evident reliability problems. The historic Ferrari team and the French Alpine team have used this loophole to ensure the necessary reliability of their engines.

However, while the Renault power unit has paid a high price for the modifications made to the engine, becoming the least powerful turbo-hybrid unit in the pack, the men from Maranello have achieved a true engineering miracle, providing durability without paying a toll on performance. Already in the last Formula 1 season, the number of power units used by the Prancing Horse was significantly lower than in the 2022 championship. Let’s consider a thorough study conducted last year, up to the Mexico Grand Prix.

A statistical examination considering all laps completed in various official sessions of the championship. The Ferrari 066/10 power unit was the engine that had covered the most kilometers, with an average life of the “core” components of the engine (Internal Combustion Engine, Moto Generator Unit – Kinetic, Motor Generator Unit – Heat and Turbocharger) averaging 3437 kilometers. Up to round 19 of the 2023 Formula 1 season, the red team had used the maximum number of components for both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, without suffering any grid penalties.

To fully understand the enormous work done by the Power Unit division in Maranello, it is enough to remember that Charles Leclerc, in 2022, was forced to use the fourth power unit already at the Canadian Grand Prix, which means after just nine races into the championship. On the eve of the sixth race weekend of the 2024 F1 season, the first quarter of the campaign, the performance and reliability of the Ferrari engine seem to pose no problems. Among the top teams, in fact, the Prancing Horse is the only team that has not yet needed to homologate the second power unit.

Ferrari, reliability PU 066/12 advantage in the second part of the season.

The failure that occurred in the Chinese Grand Prix on Valtteri Bottas’ Ferrari power unit does not concern the engineers in Maranello, as the Swiss team, unlike Haas, exclusively buys engines from the historic Italian team and no other Transferable Components. The Shanghai circuit was the first track whose geometry put the engines to the test, with higher “full throttle” percentages compared to previous ones. The consistency of the 066/12 power unit is also the result of Frederic Vasseur’s work: the French manager has spent time and resources to ensure that the quality control on the components reaches levels of excellence.

Just as his illustrious predecessor, namely Jean Todt, had understood that only by eliminating failures due to a five-pound bolt could victories in races and world titles be achieved. The good news is that for the first time since the rationing of power unit elements, Italian technicians will be able to strategically rotate power units, no longer dictated by needs caused by various technical troubles, but entirely based on the freshness of the set of approved engines, also in relation to the type of circuit to be faced in each race weekend.

A faculty that until now, in the wing car era, the historic Italian team had not been able to achieve, always having to deal with a set of engines almost all reaching the physiological mileage limit. Another positive note in the context of a promising start to the 2024 Formula 1 season for the men from Maranello who still aim to compete with the Red Bull – Max Verstappen duo. All while waiting for the debut of the substantial aerodynamic package of updates on the SF-24 single-seater, important and crucial upgrades that will enhance the Italian cars from the Imola Grand Prix onwards, with the hope that the new development direction will allow the Maranello team to further reduce the gap to Red Bull and maybe be able to put more pressure on Max Verstappen by better capitalizing on the potential of the Ferrari SF-24 car.

In the meantime Red Bull is about to lose its brightest star. We refer to Adrian Newey, who has terminated his contract with the Milton Keynes team while waiting to choose his next team. We tend to exclude retirement, although there might be a slight possibility this could also happen. Important offers for the British designer are certainly not lacking: Mercedes, Aston Martin, and Scuderia Ferrari. The latter is undoubtedly the most appealing, as a “resurrection” of the Prancing Horse by the genius car designer would be the icing on the cake of a perfect career.

Meanwhile, the track calls and the focus shifts to the next round of the 2024 Formula 1 season. Miami is just around the corner, a track that is nevertheless treacherous, where Ferrari and Red Bull will apparently not receive any updates, unlike McLaren, who is set to introduce a big aerodynamic package. For Ferrari it is better to wait for Imola, where it will undoubtedly be easier to validate upgrades over the course of the three free practice sessions. In Florida, the Sprint Race returns. A format that limits the time available to test the car. Nevertheless, the two Austrian cars remain the ones to beat. Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, therefore, will have at their disposal a package that will offer performance superior to the rest of the competitors.

In Miami, the Red Bull team will once again find characteristics of the layout that will favor some peculiarities of the RB20. One of these is aerodynamic efficiency. There are indeed two long straights where it will be important to achieve optimal End Of Straight Speed, an aspect in which the blue racing cars are very strong. The first sector consists of several fast corners in which they will compete with other cars, although they manage to develop a lot of lateral grip at high speeds. A grip level that will also greatly help in braking for turn 8, performed in a combined manner, brake and steer.

The other characteristic area of the US track concerns the central sector, where we find very slow corners. Even in this case, the RB20 will be quite competitive, considering its inherent ability to put down the approximately 1000 horsepower available, now superior to Ferrari.

The cars leading the championship are very solid from the mid-corner onwards, while in entry other cars like Ferrari tend to gain ground. Also in this case, to be fast, you will need a car capable of attacking the inside curbs, especially those of the chicane (turns 14-15). Currently, the RB20 cars can boast the best compromise between the various types of corners, which is why they dominate on different tracks. Considering the tires, Red Bull and Ferrari at this moment are more similar compared to last year, although it may seem strange.

The Austrian cars put on average less energy into the tire like the SF-24 does. Nevertheless, they have no problems in merely activating the compounds because in the last three years, at a kinematic level, the car has changed. They are therefore able to best achieve the correct tire warm-up strategy, understanding the frequency of stress applied to the tire. The high temperatures of Miami will help the ignition of the compound in the out lap of qualifying, where they have had some small issues, although not visible in the final standings.

Source: FUnoanalisitecnica