Mercedes installed another combustion engine for Valtteri Bottas at the US GP. This is the team’s second ICE switch in a row since Lewis Hamilton last took a new ICE in Turkey.
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The new ICE for Bottas meant that he had to collect a starting penalty of 5 places. This is Bottas’ sixth engine change and his third in the past four races. Mercedes had come out earlier and stated that they are concerned about their engine reliability and so are trying to resolve the issues.
When asked why they chose the new aggregate component, the team responded on social media.
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Due to the regulations, this means that we can find the best balance between performance and reliability for the rest of the season, but only receive a five-place penalty. Hence the decision to change the ICE.
– Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@ MercedesAMGF1) October 22, 2021
“Due to the regulations, we can find the best balance between performance and reliability for the rest of the season, but only receive a five-place penalty. Hence the decision to change the ICE, ”said Mercedes.
As reported by Formula 1, Williams driver Russell got his fourth ICE, fourth MGU-H, fourth turbocharger and fourth exhaust in the race and will start at the end of the field.
Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel also got his fourth ICE, fourth turbo, fifth exhaust and fourth MGU-H of the season, which will also put him in the back row of the grid.
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Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas fastest in FP1 session at the US Grand Prix
Valtteri Bottas prevailed after the end of the FP1 session with a lead of 0.045 seconds over his teammate Lewis Hamilton. The Mercedes duo flashed the field and was on P3 with almost a second faster than Max Verstappen.
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Formula 1 F1 – Turkish Grand Prix – Intercity Istanbul Park, Istanbul, Turkey – October 9, 2021, Mercedes Valtteri Bottas after qualifying in second place REUTERS / Umit Bektas
Red Bull has not been able to challenge the pace of their German rivals but will try to come back stronger. Sergio Perez’s other Red Bull finished in seventh place, but he drove most of the runs on the hard tires.
The Ferrari couple Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz finished in P4 and P5. Pierre Gasly finished his signature P6 slot while Lando Norris struggled to reach the P8 slot. The Alfa Romeo completed the top 10 with Giovinnazi ahead of Kimi.
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It would be fascinating to see if the Austrian team could challenge the pace of Mercedes in FP2.
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