Boost for Russell after Australia failure? FIA adjust engine allocation for 2023
Following a meeting of the F1 Commission, all 20 drivers will have four, rather than three, Internal Combustion Engine (ICE), Turbo Charger, MGU-H and MGU-K elements in their pool for F1 2023.
The news comes after the FIA confirmed their revised F1 Sprint format for this year, with an additional qualifying session being added to the format on Saturday morning.
With F1 well into their record-breaking 23-race season, this will be welcome news for all of the teams who will be keeping a close eye on reliability as the season progresses.
The FIA confirmed on their website: “Proposals to increase the number of Power Unit elements were discussed during the meeting, with approval given to increase the number of Internal Combustion Engine (ICE), Turbo Charger, MGU-H and MGU-K elements for 2023 only from three (3) to four (4).”
It’s good news for George Russell, who is expected to take a new power unit for this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix following his failure in Australia.
The change will have no impact on Charles Leclerc, who took a 10-place grid penalty for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Leclerc had exceeded his control electronics (CE) allocation meaning he was forced to take the penalty.
However, Leclerc is already on his second MGU-H so the change is a welcome one for Ferrari.
The CE and energy store quantity remains unchanged.