Following a sequence of disappointing races to start the season, Ferrari are reported to be considering the introduction of a powertrain update as soon as for the next race at Sochi.
Ferrari have entered the campaign with nine development tokens left after their winter programme. Billed as the car to topple Mercedes superiority, the SF16-H has shown signs of promise.
Had Sebastian Vettel opted for the medium tyre – a compound which turned out to be the key tyre in Australia – the Scuderia could have claimed the first race victory of the fledgling season. Meanwhile, the German’s engine expired on the formation lap in Bahrain, where long run performance on Friday had once again been promising.
The collision between Vettel and teammate Kimi Raikkonen in China was hugely frustrating for the team. Another false start to a season in which a title is somewhat of an expectation.
In an effort to get their season back on track, Motorsport.com has revealed that Ferrari are poised to spend three of their nine remaining tokens in an update of their internal combustion engine ahead of next weekend’s Russian Grand Prix.
The circuit, which held it’s maiden race in 2014, is a power dependent layout, meaning that powertrain performance will be key to success. Given that the Italian marquee has seen promising results when testing the updates on the dyno, and considering the difficult start they have endured, making an early change is logical.
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