As is known, September 1st is the deadline to homologate the new hybrid package which includes battery, energy recovery (MGU-K) and control unit. It is clear that all engine manufacturers will make improvements, following the technical line introduced by Ferrari last season and only partially by Honda, which brought a new battery specification to Belgium. The technicians led by Enrico Gualtieri (and Mattia Binotto) are completing and finishing the development. However, the reliability issue will play the decisive role and will determine the moment it will be introduced or postponed according to the needs of reliability and available elements. It is clear that Red Bull is in a position to introduce its update with the PU3 to date with almost no penalty (only the macro component ‘ECU’ for Sergio Perez could lead to a penalty) while Ferrari will have to do its math well.
Mattia Binotto made it known that PU problems do not depend on the quality of external materials, so it is necessary to rethink, produce and send revised parts to homologation. “It is not a matter of weeks” in short. In the meantime, the technical regulation allows unspecified temporary repairs to the power units used as well as rotations of the elements included in the pool in a closed park, if necessary. The goal is now to reduce, better optimize, the penalties that will inevitably be taken, waiting for a significantly more reliable engine, realistically for the last 4/5 GPs, towards Austin where the last change is currently scheduled.
One thing is certain: even if Team Principal Mattia Binotto has declared that the constructors’ championship remains a target for Ferrari, it is difficult to think of remaining in the fight without a driver being able to remain in contention until the end for the other championship. Especially if in the middle of the year there, the main driver is behind in terms of points that have to be recovered. Charles Leclerc lost 70 quite easy ones along the way, Ferrari at least 100. But there is no turning back. It is clear that with fewer reliability problems, the Maranello team today would be leading the world championship or in any case be very close to Red Bull.
From a sporting point of view, at the time of discovering that it was more fragile than estimated, even though during the winter there were important warnings which Ferrari believed could be largely resolved, the Italian side had two options, according to formu1a.uno: to use less power permanently to try to extend the life of the power units, agreeing to limit the damage against Max Verstappen or keep pushing, preserving the engines only in free practice but certainly increasing the risks in the race. For now, the latter strategy has been chosen and Carlos Sainz’s failure in Austria has provided another clear answer, in line with the aggressive spirit of 2022. Certainly, if the F1-75 continues to increase the overall performance of the package through upgrades, it may allow itself more cautious power management.
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In summary, despite everything, we are seeing a Ferrari that is lucid in development, aggressive and determined to remain in the fight at every stage. Whether and how much Ferrari has paid for all this will also depend on the evolution of the opponents, and we will only be able to evaluate the decisions at the end of the season.
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