Mercedes, Ferrari to use new engines at the Eifel GP
As the coronavirus-affected 2020 FIA Formula One World Championship reached its Round 11 at the Eifel Grand Prix, several teams opted to use fresh power unit elements.
Mercedes decided to install fresh internal combustion engines into the car of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas. Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull’s Alexander Albon also started this event with a new ICE. The new unit is the third one for all of them. The sporting regulations allow three internal combustion engines for the 17-race 2020 schedule which means that they have to complete the rest of the season with this ICE and with the previous two units.
Power unit manufacturers are not allowed to make any changes to their units for performance reasons, they can introduce adjustments only for cost or safety reasons. Mercedes confirmed that their last fresh internal combustion engine is an identical one to the second unit.
The two Mercedes drivers and Vettel were also given a new turbocharger. The regulation requires drivers to use the heavily-updated schedule with three units, meaning that they still have access to a further fresh unit. These three drivers also started to use a fresh MGU-H which is the third one of the three new motor generator units – heat allowed for the season.
Bottas and Albon also use a new MGU-K at the Nürburgring which is their last one of the three new motor generator units – kinetic permitted for the season.
"The cold and possibly damp conditions tomorrow should help produce an interesting race and there is still a lot to play for this weekend."
— Williams Racing (@WilliamsRacing) October 10, 2020
Qualifying report 👇#EifelGP 🇩🇪 | #WeAreWilliams 💙
Vettel, Nicholas Latifi and Nico Hülkenberg were given a fresh energy store for this weekend with both starting to use their second of the two new ES units permitted for 2020. The Racing Point and the Williams drivers complete the weekend in Germany with a new control electronics.
When it comes to the gearboxes, four drivers are completing the Eifel Grand Prix with a fresh unit, but neither of them need to serve a sporting penalty for that. AlphaTauri driver Daniil Kvyat used his previous gearbox for six consecutive weekends which allows him to use a new one for this event.
McLaren racer Carlos Sainz did not finish the Russian Grand Prix which also gave him the chance to participate at the Eifel Grand Prix with a new gearbox. Red Bull’s Alexander Albon and Williams’ Nicholas Latifi had to replace their previous gearbox during the Russian Grand Prix for a spare unit which also permitted them to start this weekend with a fresh unit.
