“We introduced the new hybrid with Charles this weekend, I can confirm it.” Mattia Binotto, during the press conference held at the end of the 2022 Belgian Grand Prix, confirmed that the new components introduced on Charles Leclerc’s F1-75 car at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps were the final ones for the ERS system whose development will be definitively frozen in a few hours (starting with 1 September).
The Ferrari team principal had anticipated that it would not be a turning point in terms of performance, therefore not comparable to the step achieved in 2021 when Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz had actually benefited a lot starting from Russia and Turkey of the power unit with the updated hybrid system, which brought a gave a significant power increase that was later completed in the winter with the introduction of the new thermal engine. Now the Maranello team will continue to focus on solutions for the reliability problems (three months estimated by Mattia Binotto to implement the solutions).
According to today’s edition of the Italian newspaper Il Corriere dello Sport, the new ERS introduced in Belgium by Ferrari with Charles Leclerc (Carlos Sainz will also have the new hybrid when he takes grid penalties next time) is an evolution that does not bring more horsepower, but less weight. One year ago, after the season resumed following the summer break, Honda equipped the RA621H power unit with a new smaller and lighter battery in Belgium, allowing Red Bull to manage the weight reduction for the RB16B even more effectively.
Weight at the moment is one of the main enemies of the Formula 1 teams to the point that Red Bull is ready to solve the extra pounds issue by introducing a new chassis expected from the Singapore Grand Prix. Ferrari did not have major problems in terms of ‘balance’, but it is obvious that any weight loss gains are extremely positive. According to Il Corriere della Sera, however, the real test of the new ERS will be the Italian Grand Prix at the Monza circuit: “Charles Leclerc had no benefits from using the new hybrid, the one that should make the difference in Monza” – the Italian newspaper pointed out.
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