Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc will be running brand new engines for this weekend’s 70th anniversary Grand Prix. Following Vettel’s free practice engine failure, Ferrari replaced the engine, turbocharger, and MGU-H on both of its cars.
Ferrari revealed that it was replacing Leclerc’s PU as a precaution following Vettel’s misfortunes on Friday. Fortunately, both drivers get to run the new components without a penalty.
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“After yesterday’s engine failure on #Seb5’s car, as a precaution we have changed #Charles16’s PU. This is also penalty free as we have not exceeded the number of components allowed in the regulations” reads a tweet by Ferrari.
During the closing stages of Free Practice 2, Vettel’s SF1000 ground to a halt, leaving a long oil trail. The 4 times World Champion was heard describing the incident as an “engine failure” on the team radio.
The 4 times World Champion reflected on his practice troubles, calling his engine failure “sudden”.
“We tried a couple of things today and overall I’m a little bit happier than last week, but we are not very competitive at the moment and we need to have a look at the data to see what we can work on.
Can Sebastian Vettel bounce back?
“There are some key area where we need to try to improve the car. They are probably small things, but hopefully we will get a bit more competitive.
On the engine failure I can say that it was very sudden. We have to see what it is but it will take some time, because the engine has to be sent to Maranello for analysis.”
So far, Charles Leclerc seems a lot more comfortable with the car compared to his teammate. The Monegasque clinched a surprise podium at last week’s British Grand Prix following a brilliant qualifying effort.
Unfortunately, Vettel is yet to get to grips with the SF1000 around the Silverstone circuit. The German could only muster up P10 after a difficult British Grand Prix. Much like last week, Leclerc set the pace in the final practice session before Qualifying for the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix.
As unlikely as it seems, can Ferrari sneak into the top 3 once again?
Source: Scuderia Ferrari
