Ferrari F1, turbo failure behind Leclerc’s stop in the Spanish GP

The failure of the turbine in the F1-75 engine would be the cause of Leclerc’s retirement in the Spanish F1 GP. A problem also highlighted on Friday by Bottas’ Alfa Romeo

Luigi Perna

23 May 2022 | 16:03 (edited May 23, 2022 | 16:13)

Official confirmation is still missing, but the technical failure that stopped Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari, while the Monegasque was launched towards victory in the Spanish F1 GP, would be linked to the failure of the turbine. An inconvenience that had already occurred on Valtteri Bottas’ Alfa Romeo-Ferrari during Friday practice. After all, there was a clue: the whistle that was heard in the TV footage as the Monegasque via radio warned the team that something was not working (“I have no more power, what’s going on?”).

ferrari, performance and reliability

The power unit 2022 until now had been one of the strengths of the F1-75, for reliability and power, but obviously there is a price to pay for the leap in performance obtained compared to past seasons, which allowed the red to equal ( if not to exceed) the rivals Honda and Mercedes in terms of motorsport. Yesterday, however, team principal Mattia Binotto wanted to defend the work done by Enrico Gualtieri, head of the power unit sector, and by his men in Maranello: “I am proud of how they have developed the power unit in view of this season and of the progress made” .

ferrari alarm?

Keeping the engines at a distance will be one of the decisive aspects from now to the end of the World Championship, given that the regulation allows only 3 power units to be used before the penalties are triggered (lost positions on the starting grid) and Ferrari has already mounted two units. on the cars of Leclerc and Sainz, replacing that of Carlos in Imola (the Spaniard had crashed in Australia) and that of Charles in Miami, that is to say in the fifth race out of 22. While the rival Max Verstappen on Red Bull reached six GPs with the first Honda power unit.

confident binotto

Likely that Leclerc will have to install a new turbine in Monte Carlo, unless a used component is repurposed, and that the deck may be short for Ferrari during the championship. Binotto replied on the subject on Sunday evening: “Three power units are actually few for such a long season. But I remember that in 2021 Honda and Mercedes, fighting for the title, used more of them. Mercedes even arrived. to six … In short, you always have to worry when there is a failure in the power unit, but I think we will be able to manage the situation “.



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