In the first nine rounds of the world championship, Fernando Alonso was the first driver to receive an engine replacement penalty in Spain, followed by Yuki Tsunoda and Charles Leclerc in the last GP held in Canada. According to technical regulation in force, every pilot has at his disposal three power units, each of which must last eight weekends. Going into more detail, each engine is in turn composed of seven interior elementswho can each present a maximum number of substitutions before undergoing other penalties from the race direction.
COMPONENTS | MAXIMUM UNITS |
---|---|
Internal combustion engine (ICE) | 3 |
Heat generator motor (MGU-H) | 3 |
Kinetic Generator Motor (MGU-K) | 3 |
Turbocharger | 3 |
Energy accumulator (ES) | 2 |
Electrical control (CE) | 2 |
Limited to I unloadwhich includes a maximum of 8 units, it is composed of the left and right primary side, as well as the left secondary side and the right secondary side. These elements are often replaced after an accident and, before the F1 sessions take place, the media and teams receive documentation from the FIA specifying which parts have been changed. Moreover, in the event of a driver being replaced while the championship is in progress, the one who takes over does not start from scratch with the counts of the changes made to his car, instead inheriting those made by the driver he replaced. The same also applies to the exchange rate change count.
When the maximum limit of available engine units is exceeded, the dreaded penalties are activated: if introduced only one additional componentthe regulation provides for the retrocession of 10 positions compared to that determined by the time recorded in qualifying. If that happened in one second chancethe penalty to be served would be 5 positions. At the same time, just in case he comes reached the maximum limit of 15 placings from the grid, the race direction will opt for the automatic return to last position. In the event that there are two or more drivers forced to start from the back of the grid, the one who records the best time in qualifying will finally be awarded. This is what happened for example in Canada between Leclerc and Tsunoda.
Outside of the engines, however, there are also other components to take into serious consideration, this time around the exchange:
COMPONENTS | UNIT’ |
---|---|
Gearbox | 4 |
Transmission, gearbox components and auxiliaries | 4 |
In the event that a unit greater than the maximum number allowed is replaced, the penalty is 5 positions. However, contrary to what happens with power units or related components, teams can carry out repairs between one GP and another, subject to request and possible approval by the FIA. Regardless of everything, very often the teams implement a component replacement to voluntarily fall into a penalty, especially during races that are particularly favorable to overtaking or comebacks. In conclusion, it is the FIA’s job to seal certain components of the power unit or gearbox, so that these cannot be modified in any way by the teams. In case of repairs on these units, the technicians can act only on specific instructions of the Federation.
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