22/09/2022
NEWS STORY
Numerous grid penalties at the Belgian and Italian Grands Prix, leave Ferrari boss, Mattia Binotto suggesting the allocation of engine components should be increased.
Numerous teams opted to take penalties at Spa and Monza due to the fact that it is easier to overtake at those two tracks compared to Singapore and Suzuka that follow.
However, after Japan there will be four races remaining and in all likelihood teams will opt to take on new components at COTA in preparation for the likes of Abu Dhabi.
Aside from the ongoing debate over how the penalties are applied and the fact that it took almost four hours in Italy before officials could confirm the grid order, Mattia Binotto believes that the allocation of components should be increased.
Currently drivers are limited to just three Internal Combustion Engines (ICE), three Turbochargers, MGU-Hs and MGU-Ks, however, in the case of Control Electrics and Energy Stores they are limited to just 2. For 2021 Exhaust Systems were added to the list of components, with drivers limited to 8 for the season.
Exceeding the allowed number of units means a 10-place grid drop the first time it happens, and 5-places thereafter.
With nine drivers taking penalties at Monza, pole-man Charles Leclerc was the only driver to start the race from the position in which he qualified.
"It's difficult for a fan, I think, to see a car on pole and not start on pole because he got grid penalties," admitted Binotto. "So maybe the three PUs per drivers is too little at that stage for what we have achieved. Maybe it needs to be reconsidered for the next seasons."
Referring to the almost four hour wait until the Monza grid was confirmed, he said: "The reason why it took so long is that there are certainly different interpretations and the regulation is not clear enough.
"That's something we need to address certainly for the future, not only how we decide the grid position based on the penalties, the amount of penalties we got as well is too many."