Mercedes has stated that no modifications to Valtteri Bottas’ power unit are expected following his retirement in Qatar.
Mercedes has provided an update on the condition of Valtteri Bottas’ power unit following his retirement from the Qatar Grand Prix, easing concerns about power unit changes and subsequent grid penalties in Saudi Arabia.
Bottas was forced to retire from the Losail race after a dramatic puncture damaged his car and effectively ended his chances of scoring points.
“The car was a bit too damaged, so we didn’t want to break it even more. Also, I think [there was] no chance to get points, so we could save a tiny bit of mileage on the engine,” commented Bottas at the time.
Bottas’ power unit to be fired up as planned
Although a cracked pipe outside the protected perimeter produced a leak, inspections revealed that the power unit itself was in good working order, according to a Mercedes spokesperson.
During the car build for this weekend’s event at the all-new Jeddah Corniche Circuit, mechanics will fire up the power unit as planned.
Bottas has used five of the seven parts that make up F1’s current power units to surpass his season allocation. He has a sixth Internal Combustion Engine, fifth Turbocharger, fifth MGU-H, fourth MGU-K, and third Control Electronics installed.
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