TECHNICAL: Russell to race with fresh Mercedes engine in China

Mercedes driver George Russell will compete in tomorrow’s Chinese Grand Prix with a fresh inside combustion engine. F1Technical’s senior author Balázs Szabó report on which drivers will use fresh energy unit components and gearbox in the Shanghai F1 race.

For the eleventh 12 months working, the 2024 F1 vehicles are powered by V6 hybrid turbo energy items with 1.6-litre engines. This season represents the penultimate 12 months the present engine configuration seems earlier than being changed by a brand new energy unit components in 2026.

Current F1 energy items function seven parts: the interior combustion engine (ICE), motor generator unit-heat (MGU-H), motor generator unit-kinetic (MGU-Okay), turbocharger, vitality retailer (ES), management electronics (CE) and exhaust.

Over the course of the 2024 season, a driver might use not more than 4 ICEs, MGU-Hs, MGU-Ks and turbochargers, two vitality shops and management electronics, and eight of every of the 4 parts that make up a set of exhaust techniques (comprising primaries left-hand aspect, primaries right-hand aspect, secondary LHS and secondary RHS).

Mercedes driver George Russell’s automobile has been outfitted with a fresh inside combustion engine, turbocharger, MGU-H and MGU-Okay for the Shanghai F1 spherical. The one-time grand prix winner has solely used a single unit from these parts, which means that he has nonetheless two new ICEs, TCs, MGU-Hs and MGU-Ks for the rest of the season.

There had been a number of drivers, who’ve obtained a brand new exhaust system for the Chinese Grand Prix. Alongside Russell, the 2 Kick Sauber drivers Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu and the 2 Haas racers Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg will race with a brand new exhaust system tomorrow.

Drivers are additionally restricted in phrases of what number of restricted-number parts (RNCs) they will use throughout a season. RNCs are parts that make up the gearbox, break up between the gearbox case and cassette, and the gearbox driveline, gear change parts and auxiliary parts.

As with their energy items, drivers have a ‘pool’ of 4 gearboxes that may be swapped round in the course of the season. Only when a driver exceeds their allocation of both of the above gearbox parts do they obtain a grid penalty.

Two drivers have elected to use a brand new gearbox case and driveline on the Chinese Grand Prix: Zhou Guanyu and Oscar Piastri.