Championship runaway chief Max Verstappen would possibly face engine penalities as early as in summer season races after having confronted reliability points in the opening phases of the season. F1Technical’s lead journalist Balazs Szabo explains the present scenario concerning the energy unit allocations.
For the eleventh 12 months operating, 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 method in 2026.
Current F1 energy items function seven parts: the inside 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 methods (comprising primaries left-hand facet, primaries right-hand facet, secondary LHS and secondary RHS).
Three drivers obtained a brand new inside combustion engine for the Spanish Grand Prix. Carlos Sainz was given his third ICE which meant that he nonetheless has another unit to make use of in the the rest of the season.
However, championship runaway chief Max Verstappen has been pressured to take one other new inside combustion at Barcelona which was his fourth and final unit for the season. He final obtained a brand new ICE in Montreal two weeks in the past, however he suffered a reliability challenge on Friday which curtailed his operating in Free Practice 2.
Although the challenge was {an electrical} gremlin, it has been reported that this brand-new energy unit won’t return to his pool. If this seems to be the case, he will certainly must take further energy items in the second half of the season.
Similarly to Verstappen, Alpine’s Pierre Gasly has additionally taken a brand new inside combustion engine which counsel that he can even be pressured to exceed his allocation.
Verstappen, Sainz and Gasly have additionally obtained a brand new turbocharger, MGU-H, MGU-Okay and exhaust system.
Sergio Perez, Esteban Ocon and Zhou Guanyu took a contemporary vitality retailer which is their second and final unit of their allocation.
The Chinese driver additionally obtained a brand new management electronics whereas Valtteri Bottas joined the trio of Verstappen, Sainz and Gasly in taking a brand new exhaust system at Barcelona.
Drivers are additionally restricted in phrases of what number of restricted-number elements (RNCs) they’ll use throughout a season. RNCs are elements that make up the gearbox, cut up between the gearbox case and cassette, and the gearbox driveline, gear change elements and auxiliary elements.
As with their energy items, drivers have a ‘pool’ of 4 gearboxes that may be swapped round throughout the season. Only when a driver exceeds their allocation of both of the above gearbox elements do they obtain a grid penalty.
Eight drivers have taken a brand new gearbox for the Spanish Grand Prix: Verstappen, Sergio Perez, Sainz, George Russell, Daniel Ricciardo, Bottas, Yuki Tsunoda and Logan Sargeant.
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