Ferrari outline PU changes for 2022

Ferrari

Ferrari outline PU changes for 2022

Ferrari hope to fight back to the top of F1

Ian Parkes & Ewan Gale

Wednesday 19 January 2022 14:30

Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto has explained the extensive changes the Scuderia is making to its power unit ahead of the upcoming F1 season.

The Maranello-based team struck back with an improved engine last year having struggled for power in 2020, eventually finishing that campaign with its worst return since 1980.

Ferrari took a further step forward in the latter stages of the season with an upgraded hybrid system focused on the new term and speaking to media at the end of 2021, Binotto described the changes surrounding the power unit.

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"[The] power units are significantly different to the current one except for the hybrid," said Binotto.

"For the hybrid, as we said, we introduced it in 2021, anticipating what would have been the 2022 [system].

"There will be some changes to the system for [the] regulations because more sensors are required from the FIA in all the systems for better policing.

"But the overall system is very similar to the one we've got, the one we raced at the end of the season.

"The rest, especially only internal combustion engine, I have to say it's significantly different.

"We've got a new fuel, which is 10 per cent ethanol, which changes the combustion a lot, we are all losing more or less 20 horsepower, which means that the combustion itself is quite changed.

"There were a lot of opportunities in development on the power unit and we change it quite a lot, especially in the design on the combustion itself."

Ferrari "open-minded" over new regulations

F1 enters a new era this year with new regulations changing the aesthetic of machinery.

The aerodynamic changes aim to increase racing excitement and have restricted engineers further than previous regulations have done in past seasons.

"On the chassis, what can we innovate? I see that the way we approached the exercise was really open-minded," added Binotto.

"When looking at the car concept and what was possible or not, which is not only the external shape, whatever you could have done under the bodywork in terms of layout, in terms of suspension design, in terms of full architecture, including as well the power unit architecture, I see that the team made significant innovations and the overall design we are now finalising is quite different to the 2021 cars."