It is time to make balances for the teams in all respects: points compared to the previous year, the behavior of the cars on the track and, above all, penalty to be paid for different reasons. One of the main causes of penalties, and certainly the one that teams keep an eye on most, is the distribution of the Power Units. Many teams already are at the limit, others seem be able to handle the situation.
Power Unit, who is worse off?
Analyzing this first part of the season and seeing how many races are left to go, the PU supplier most in difficulty is definitely Ferrari. In Maranello, all the retirements we have seen since the beginning of the year weigh heavily just because of the engine and it would now seem certain that the riders of the Reds will go in penalty to Spa (Leclerc almost certainly, Sainz we will see) and, perhaps, in Austin. But it's not just there Maranello stable which is borderline. Indeed, Red Bull, despite having changed the PU in Hungary, will have to fit a new one to 90% before the end of the season essendo almost unlikely make 9 grand prizes with the same PU.
Even the teams that receive their engines from Ferrari e Red Bull will go with great certainty under penalty. Same for Alpine. The one that appears to be quieter is incredibly the Mercedes which he hasn't had yet reliability problems from the beginning of the season and continues with still two Power Units used of the three possible.
Watch out for broadcasts!
As already mentioned, there are many causes that can send a team to penalties and there could always be another reason related to the reliability of the machine, or the transmission. Some pilots indeed, including also Verstappen and Leclerc, are at risk in the number of transmissions used and, should there be any exchange problem, will be forced to down five positions on the grid and those five positions could also decide a whole world. In short, many unknowns that could make this world championship even more unpredictable!
ARTICLE BY FRANCESCO ORLANDO
