Ferrari declare more needed with new PU that is "not a game-changer"

Ferrari claim its new power unit delivered "a small plus" following its debut in Russia last weekend but believe more is required as it is "not a game-changer".

Following his crash on the opening lap of the Hungarian Grand Prix after being hit by Aston Martin's Lance Stroll, Charles Leclerc was the first to trial the updated hybrid system that was introduced at the Sochi Autodrom as it builds towards 2022.

It is anticipated that following a reasonably successful three days, Carlos Sainz will be handed the system for the next race in Turkey and take a grid penalty, as Leclerc did in Russia.

Assessing its impact, sporting director Laurent Mekies said: "So far we are satisfied with what we see with the new PU.

"There is no gamechanger there but it is working smoothly. For sure, it is a small plus for us. We need many of these small pluses for next year."

Team principal Mattia Binotto was a little more circumspect with regard to the performance of the system as he stated: "I don’t want to quantify it."

As Ferrari declared ahead of the race in Russia, the main purpose behind the power unit's introduction was "to gain experience for the 2022 car project".

With that in mind, Binotto added: "It is a step in terms of performance.

"But it is more important for us to push forward, as much as we could, that new technology because it will certainly help in 2022 in terms of experience.

"I am happy Charles has it for the rest of the season."

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