After only seven races of the 2022 Formula 1 season, within the Ferrari engine department, it is already time to think about the appropriate strategies for rotating the elements of the power unit. The failure of the MGU-H suffered by Charles Leclerc in Spain has triggered the alarm and is pushing the men of the Maranello team towards the introduction of an important update of the hybrid system aimed at both correcting the reliability problems encountered in this first part of the season, and also to consequently increase the performance of the engine.
This will be possible despite the block to the development of power units, which as we know does not involve the elements that contribute to the recovery of electricity, but only the ICE and the other components. In general, moreover, the engine manufacturers will always be allowed to intervene in the event that a reliability problem is encountered.
Upgrade planned for the British Grand Prix
This is where Ferrari’s first strategies of the season take over. According to the Italian daily newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, the update which Ferrari has focused a lot of work on in Maranello cannot be approved before the British GP (Silverstone, 1-3 July) and consequently, on Charles Leclerc’s car, as already happened in Monaco, it is very likely that the first MGU-H will also be used in Baku, since the second specification used in Spain is compromised and can no longer be used.
Ferrari at a crossroads between risk and certain penalty
After having decided to mount a second engine unit on the Monegasque’s car, equipped with all the new elements in Miami, the Ferrari technicians now find themselves in front of one of the most important crossroads of the 2022 Formula One season. There are two paths that open up in front of them: 1) continue to use the first MGU-H specification also in Baku and Canada and wait to assemble the third updated unit with all its components in Great Britain; 2) mount a third MGU-H already in Azerbaijan (obviously not yet updated), knowing, however, of having to serve penalties at Silverstone or in one of the subsequent events in which it will be deemed appropriate to equip Charles Leclerc’s car with the decisive update.
In Monaco, given the insignificance of having a performing power unit under your hood, the choice of preferring for the old MGU-H seemed quite obvious. A completely different story, however, for Baku and Montréal, where given the presence of the long straights, enjoying the maximum amount of power will certainly play an important part in the fight against Red Bull. Especially if the advantage of the RB18 over the F1-75 in terms of top speed is still confirmed.
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A complex and daring choice awaits the technicians of Maranello. The next few days will be important. The fate of the world championship can also be decided by such choices which Ferrari has to get right.
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