Power unit struggle goes on
HORROR CRASH: HAAS DRIVER WALKS AWAY ON WEEKEND OF INCIDENTS IN BAHRAIN
McLaren leapfrogs Racing Point in their tussle for third spot in Constructors’ race.
Ithink everyone who witnessed last Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix will be thankful that Romain Grosjean escaped with minimal injuries from the crash that ripped his Haas in two, to create an instant fireball.
Prompt action by the safety car and marshals assisted the Frenchman to flee the fire.
Seeing the wreckage and realising he could extricate himself from the safety cell was testament to the incredible technology currently improving the safety of drivers, particularly the halo.
It was not a great weekend for Racing Point either – Lance Stroll ended upside down after an incident with Alpha Tauri’s Daniil Kvyat. Kvyat received a penalty for causing the accident.
Then it was the turn of Sergio Perez, whose great drive put him in line for a good points finish until an MGU-K failure ended his race three laps from them end.
The teams are still in Bahrain for this weekend’s Sakhir Grand Prix, but this time on the circuit’s outer track – at 3.543km, or 1.869km shorter than Sunday’s venue.
Drivers will face 87 laps for a total of 307.995km.
The fight for third spot in the Constructors’ title will be hot. Racing Point’s woes were McLaren’s bonus, as a good finish from both Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz moved them ahead by 17 points.
There is still no word from Dr Helmut Marko regarding the power unit situation for Red Bull and Alpha Tauri. Will it be a buyout of the Honda IPO, a return to Renault power or goodbye to the Milton Keynes organisation? If the team takes over the manufacture of the Honda power unit, they will demand a freeze on development from all other power unit suppliers.
Not everyone is happy about that, Renault and Ferrari the most vocal.
Renault is seeking the introduction of a new formula a year ahead of schedule, whereas Ferrari
wants a convergence of performance to equalise all the power units’ output.
This has not gone down well with Mercedes chief Toto Wolff.
The Austrian is quoted as saying: “When you look at the development of engines, Ferrari clearly had the most power in 2018 and by far the best in 2019. We developed our engine, pushed the boundaries and brought something to the track in 2020 that would catch up,” Wolff said.
“I cannot comprehend that any car manufacturer that trusts in its ability to develop a power unit and a chassis would want some kind of mechanism to balance the power unit result.”
Teams stay on for Sakhir Grand Prix