Ferrari brings forward F1 engine upgrade for Spanish GP

Ferrari will introduce a Formula 1 engine upgrade at this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix as part of its renewed push for increased performance.

The Scuderia originally planned for its first power unit update of the season to come in Canada, but it has brought forward the development ahead of schedule to be used two races early in Barcelona.

It follows a patchy start to the 2019 campaign, after initially being labelled as the pre-season favourites following a strong pre-season test showing in Spain. Despite appearing to boast a competitive package, Ferrari is yet to take a win from the opening four races, with Mercedes instead claiming a clean sweep of victories.

“It’s time for the Spanish GP, traditionally a race where most of the teams bring some updates, therefore we can expect to see a step up in performance from our competitors,” Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto said.

“We are currently behind in the championship and we have to catch up, which we know means that our development work will be the key to this season.

“Having brought a new aerodynamic package to Baku, we will also bring some developments in this area to Barcelona.

“On top of that, we will have a new power unit that we are introducing ahead of schedule, as the second specification was due to be brought to Canada.”

Binotto said the engine upgrade goes hand in hand with an update from Ferrari’s lubricant supplier Shell, which the team expects to deliver “increased performance”.

“Shell, in close collaboration with our team, has developed a different formulation of race lubricant that will also be introduced with the new power unit, delivering increased performance.

“It’s only down to a big team effort with everyone pushing hard to make up ground that we have been able to bring these developments forward.”

Ferrari currently trails Mercedes by 74 points in the 2019 constructors’ championship.