Charles Leclerc will switch to a new power unit in Miami, a race earlier than Ferrari had potentially planned, according to a report from Italy.
The Italian edition of Motorsport.com claims that the World Championship leader will be moving to the second internal combustion engine in his pool at the weekend, with Ferrari also bringing an updated ERS system to Florida which is thought to be both faster and more reliable than its previous iteration.
Carlos Sainz will be moving back to his first power unit, having had to take his second combustion engine at Imola in the last round after a supposed issue, but no damage was found and he can switch back to his initial ICE as planned.
However, it’s believed that Ferrari were hoping to hold out until the Spanish Grand Prix initially before having to make a switch for either driver.
Good morning from…?☀️
You already know ?#essereFerrari? #MiamiGP pic.twitter.com/vNTV2AmBk3
— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) May 5, 2022
But the report claims that there are no apparent concerns surrounding the reliability of Leclerc’s first power unit, but rather a strategic choice to try and have a fresh engine in place to challenge Red Bull at the inaugural Miami Grand Prix this weekend, in a brand new challenge for the team and its drivers.
The head of Ferrari’s simulator, Enrico Sampo said a lot of effort has gone into learning the Miami layout with both drivers, and there’s “compromise” that has to be found in setting the car up – particularly on an unknown circuit such as this – and team boss Mattia Binotto previously said they are likely to adopt a medium-to-low downforce setup on the F1-75, to counter against Red Bull’s top speed advantage over them.
“Miami is a totally new circuit so the simulation activities are even more important,” Sampo told Motorsport.it.
“We expect a fast track, with some high-speed corners in the first sector and some quite slow ones especially in the third sector. There are some very long straights, with three DRS zones and good opportunities to overtake.
“From the point of view of car balance it is definitely a complex circuit where you have to find a good compromise between the various types of corners and have good efficiency to deal with the long straights.
“The event was prepared on the simulator following our standard procedures, with special attention due to the fact that the uncertainty of the information in our possession is greater.
He continued: “This means that the range of conditions and issues we try to anticipate is wider than usual.
“Charles and Carlos both went through a long preparation session to get to know the circuit, explore the possible limitations of the car and to try different setup solutions to optimise balance and lap time.”
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