Formula 1 teams have been told their drivers may use extra power unit parts without penalty this year.
An update to the sporting regulations has increased the number of internal combustion engines, turbochargers, MGU-Ks and MGU-Hs each driver can use during 2023 from three to four.
The revision comes after several drivers have already begun eating into their limited supplies of power unit parts three events into the 23-round championship.
Following the Australian Grand Prix, both Ferrari drivers have already taken new engines, and Charles Leclerc is on his second MGU-H.
Honda RBPT-powered driver Nyck de Vries has taken a complete new power unit, as has Mercedes user Lando Norris. A second Mercedes-powered driver, George Russell, is expected to take a new power unit this weekend after the failure which put him out of the Australian Grand Prix.
Renault is the only supplier whose drivers remain on their original power units, with Alpine duo Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly being the only two on the grid to use Renault engine technology.
Other rules changes were agreed today by the F1 Commission and subsequently approved by an electronic vote of the World Motor Sport Council. They included revisions to F1’s sprint race format which will be used for the first time this weekend.
Teams have been told that costs related to some sustainability initiatives will be excluded from the budget cap this year, “with particular focus on environmental concerns” according to the FIA. Among the exclusions are “costs associated with installing sustainable infrastructure, auditing and monitoring of competitors’ carbon footprint, donations to charities engaged in the promotion of environmental sustainability projects and carbon offset programmes”.
The regulations have also been updated to included the revised definition of what constitutes “working on a car” which was clarified following the controversy over Fernando Alonso’s penalty at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, which was later rescinded.
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2023 F1 season
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