Will Ferrari’s unique engine philosophy come back to haunt it or bring it to glory in 2022?

The Ferrari F1 team’s performance has changed significantly this season compared to 2020 as it has already secured 2 pole positions and a podium from the first 6 race weekends with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.

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And the credit goes undeniably to the newly designed engine, which finally complied with the technical guidelines of the FIA. Overall, the 2021 season looks pretty promising for the Maranello outfit overall, considering how the first weekends have turned out for Ferrari.

But how far will they maintain this performance? From today’s perspective, there is no guarantee that Ferrari will be able to continue on this positive course in the next season. Who knows, the Reds could find themselves in the swamp again in 2022. Why do you ask?

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Formula 1 F1 – Azerbaijan Grand Prix – Baku City Circuit, Baku, Azerbaijan – June 6, 2021 Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in action during the REUTERS / Anton Vaganov race

Well, according to The Race, it’s up to Ferrari’s rather ambitious engine design goals for 2022. Ferrari has decided not to follow the engine philosophy of its competitors, but to take a completely different path.

This is undoubtedly a huge gamble considering that the F1 will freeze engine development through 2025.

How could the Ferrari engine differ from others?

The entire network wants to develop a competitive generator set amid the upcoming technical regulatory changes. Mercedes and Honda have always preferred split turbo technology.

This design has a layout where the compressor is mounted on the front of the engine and the turbine is mounted further back. It is interesting that Alpine also recently confirmed Renault’s switch to split-turbo technology for 2022.

Hence, much was expected that Ferrari would announce the same thing. But the Maranello outfit ultimately decided differently. Despite long deliberation, they decided against the preferred motor system.

Instead, Ferrari installed a charge air cooler solution that reports positive reactions in the electrical energy recovery system.

Formula 1 F1 – Monaco Grand Prix – Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo, Monaco – Ferraris Carlos Sainz Jr. in action during the REUTERS / Gonzalo Fuentes race

In addition, Ferrari appears to have made a major breakthrough in combustion technology. With the super-fast ignition, the Red Reports have succeeded in improving combustion.

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This is certainly positive news for Ferrari as it has shown decent results so far. However, there is also fear of how this engine might fare against Mercedes, Renault and Red Bull.

So will Ferrari see absolute dominance of the starting grid in 2022? Or will your decision to take a unique path in engine development haunt you?

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View history: Ferrari strategy fails that we will never forget