Summer break balance sheet on the engine penalties in Formula 1 2022: While only one driver still has buffers in all elements, Leclerc is the only one at the limit everywhere.
For some drivers, the Formula 1 autumn is likely to be a nail-biter when it comes to engine penalties. Because almost every driver is threatened with a penalty this season because he has already reached the limit with one or more parts. Only one pilot has not yet reached the limit with any engine element: Daniel Ricciardo.
On the other hand, seven drivers had to put up with a penalty at the end of the grid or a start from the pit lane. Alpine’s Fernando Alonso is the leader in the category and has even been sent off twice: at the home game in Spain and at the Spielberg race.
The two Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc (in Canada) and Carlos Sainz (in France) have also been hit. Also AlphaTauris Pierre Gasly (in Hungary) and Yuki Tsunoda (in Canada), Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas (in Austria) and Haas driver Kevin Magnussen (in France).
The World Championship fight could also be affected by possible penalties. Leclerc is at or above the limit for all (!) nine elements, Max Verstappen at least six: engine, turbocharger, MGU-H, MGU-K and the outer and inner transmission elements.
Ricciardo with the best starting position
His Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez also has to be careful with five elements: not yet with the two transmission units, but with the control electronics. On the other hand, Red Bull and McLaren are the only two teams that are still with the first component for some elements – namely control electronics and energy storage (except for that exception at Perez).
In general, Daniel Ricciardo’s situation is the best: he can change every component again without penalty, he can even allow himself six changes in the exhaust pipe in the remaining nine races.
Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin) is at the limit with MGU-K, energy storage and control electronics, Mick Schumacher (Haas) everywhere, except for the exhaust (five out of eight).
New: Also gearbox with contingent
In Formula 1, parts of the drive unit have been restricted for a number of years. A driver may use three engines per year, the same applies to turbochargers, MGU-H and MGU-K. There are only two units of energy storage and control electronics, the most generous is the exhaust system, where eight units are allowed.
Also new for this season is a gearbox restriction. So far, this had to last six weekends in a row, but since 2022 there has also been a certain contingent here: divided into the outer and inner part of the transmission, four sets are available for each.
If a driver exceeds the contingent, he gets a penalty of ten starting places for the first additional element and five penalty places for each additional element. With the gearbox, the first transition only costs five positions. But: If a driver collects more than 15 starting places in an event, he has to start from the very back.
The statistics by individual elements
Leclerc, Sainz, Gasly, Tsunoda, Bottas and Magnussen have already crossed the line, Alonso twice. Mercedes, Williams, Aston Martin and Daniel Ricciardo each have a buffer, all other drivers are right on the limit.
The situation is exactly the same as with the engine, except that Lewis Hamilton is also at the limit and Bottas has already exceeded the limit twice.
Exactly the same situation as with the turbocharger.
The situation is again the same as with the engine, except that George Russell and Sebastian Vettel are also at the limit here and that Fernando Alonso only went over the limit once.
Alonso and the two AlphaTauri are already over the limit, the two Red Bull and McLaren each had the first of two elements in the car. Everyone else is already on their second.
Leclerc, Sainz, Alonso (twice), Gasly, Tsunoda and Bottas have already received penalties for this, Max Verstappen and the two McLaren are still on the first part. Again, all other drivers are at the border.
Because the limit here is eight elements, no driver has been penalized. However, Charles Leclerc is already at the limit here. No other driver otherwise used more than five elements. The Aston Martin, the Williams and Ricciardo are even only on the second element and have a lot of buffers.
Because the outer and inner elements are usually changed together, we evaluate them together. Verstappen, Leclerc and Schumacher are each on the fourth of four transmission parts and therefore have to fear a penalty. The same applies to the Alfa Romeo drivers, who are the only pilots to have an unequal number between the outer and inner transmission.
Lewis Hamilton and Alexander Albon have only used two each, everyone else has three. So far there has not been a penalty.