Scuderia Ferrari will change Kimi Räikkönen’s power unit ahead of Saturday’s running at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya after the Finn was forced out of second practice on Friday with an apparent engine failure.
Räikkönen saw a puff of smoke exit the rear of his SF71-H heading down the back straight with around forty minutes of the session remaining, and although he managed to get the car back to the pits, Ferrari has decided to change his internal combustion engine, turbocharger and MGU-H ahead of Saturday practice.
Räikkönen admitted it was a messy day all round in Spain, with his practice sessions also including a trip across the gravel trap, with the Finn ending fifth fastest in the morning session before the engine issue restricted him to sixth position in the afternoon.
“Today the session was a bit messy but overall I think it was not too bad,” said Räikkönen. “The wind made it a bit tricky, but we know that, at this time of year, it can be like that.
“The tarmac was the same as we had in testing, but obviously the weather conditions are different. We all know this track very well but every time we come here it’s like starting from zero. We tried different things and learned from them and it was pretty ok most of the times.”
Räikkönen felt it was not the most straightforward day in the Spanish sunshine, and there is work to do overnight to find a better set-up, although the gaps at the front of the field between Ferrari, Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport and Aston Martin Red Bull Racing are close.
“Maybe it was not the most straightforward Friday, but I think that more or less we know what we should do,” said Räikkönen. “At one point we had some issues and I was told by the team to stop the car. We still don’t know what happened, but we’ll figure it out.
“In the evening we’ll have some work to do; we’ll go through everything and understand. Tomorrow morning we might get a better idea and know where everybody is. I’m sure it is going to be close”.
