In the round-up: Ferrari admit they had to reduce the power their Formula 1 power unit produces following the the reliability problems they encountered earlier in 2022.
In brief
Ferrari “had to slightly lower the power”
Both Ferrari drivers used a total of six power units over the course of the 2022 season – twice as many as the maximum permitted by the regulations. The failures suffered by Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jnr led Ferrari to reduce their engine performance to improve their reliability, team principal Mattia Binotto admitted.
“We had to slightly lower the power,” he told media including RaceFans following yesterday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. “Yes, we had to do it.”
People “struggle to appreciate what I’ve achieved” – Verstappen
Max Verstappen dismissed the controversies relating to his two Formula 1 championship wins, claiming some people can’t respect his successes.
“So last year it was ‘rigged’. It was ‘stolen’. Well, if you look over the whole season, because it’s not a one-race championship, I think I did pretty well,” he told The Sun.
“This year, it’s all about the car. And then the budget cap stories. I feel like, for some people, it’s a bit of a struggle to appreciate what I am achieving.”
“Ricciardo has done a very good job for us” – Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo’s head of trackside engineering Xevi Pujolar said he was ‘very impressed’ with Daniel Ricciardo’s defending against Sebastian Vettel in the final stages of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which helped secure Alfa Romeo sixth in the teams’ standings.
“Well, I don’t know what they were trying to do,” Pujolar said, of Aston Martin’s strategy. “But I think for us, the only thing I can say is that Ricciardo has done a very good job for us.
“I’m very impressed. He’s very impressive because he didn’t have the DRS for many laps with Vettel behind. He was defending really well. So today he has been part of our strategy.”
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Drugovich “wanted that win so much” for F2 record
2022 Formula 2 champion Felipe Drugovich sealed the title in Monza two months ago but continued to battle for points in both Abu Dhabi races, taking third and second place finishes.
Ayumu Iwasa denied him in yesterday’s season-closing feature race, leaving Drugovich to take second place. “I think it was very close, I wanted that win so much,” said Drugovich.
“Someone told me that if I won one more I…
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