Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto has said that reliability issues for the Ferrari power unit have been “worrying” for Maranello.
Binotto has said reliability will play a key factor in the outcome of the 2022 World Championships, and admitted to feeling worried about the Ferrari power unit in the wake of Charles Leclerc’s race retirement from a comfortable lead in Spain.
As the championship leader at the start of the Barcelona race, Leclerc’s retirement resulted in him losing the lead to Max Verstappen – the Red Bull driver himself having retired from two of the first three races due to fuel supply issues on his RB18.
Leclerc’s MGU-H and turbocharger were the culprits behind his Spanish retirement, meaning the Monégasque has lost one of each – drivers are only permitted three internal combustion engines, as well as three each of the hybrid ancillaries such as the turbo, MGU-H, and MGU-K.
Leclerc isn’t the only Ferrari driver to have encountered issues, as Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas is already onto his third Ferrari turbo and MGU-H after seven races in the season – the Finn will take a grid penalty once he requires a fourth of either component.
Given that there are still 15 races remaining in the 2022 season, Binotto said reliability will be one of the main challenges to keep on top of throughout the year.
“Reliability is always a concern,” he told the media over the Monaco weekend.
“And when something is happening, it’s never great. So it’s worrying us. We are looking at what happened [in Spain]. And sometimes you’ve got straight explanations. It can be caused by external accidents. It can be caused by exceptional, let me say, circumstances. So other ones may be a true worry and concern”
Asked to clarify the cause behind Leclerc’s Spanish retirement, Binotto opted to remain tight-lipped: “What can I tell you? Not much! We did the analysis. We failed and damaged both the turbo and the MGU-H, so they will not be…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at News – PlanetF1…