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The FIA sent out to on Monday, the 1st of June documents to all F1 teams on the roster informing them that Ferrari had used 3 tokens, and Honda two. Both teams will have changes to their power units halfway through the racing season.
Ferrari’s changes are said to have been used in improving the design around the cylinder head of the engine. Cylinder heads sit on top of the cylinder in the cylinder block, closing off the unit to form the combustion chamber. However, it is unclear if Ferrari will put these into immediate employ and use them in the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend.
Maurizio Arrivabene, Ferrari team principal suggested in a Motorsport interview that Ferrari would not be using the tokens in a race engine just yet. His interview suggested the team would hold off for now, but he played his cards close to his chest, not wanting to reveal when exactly the engines would be used. He wanted ‘Italian nationalism’ (Ferrari), and did ‘not want to give the information to the Germans’, implying Mercedes.
It is also possible that this was a diversionary tactic, and Ferrari would in fact use the upgraded engines in Montreal.
What about Honda?
At the Monaco Grand Prix, Honda bosses had said they were still mulling over the decision of when they wanted to use the tokens in a race engine. Honda motorsport chief Yasuhisa Arai, asked about engine upgrades at his team, said there were ‘no plans yet’, and that any decision taken would only be effected after strategic consultation with McLaren. Talk, however, is that Honda will hold off at the Canadian Grand Prix, and employ upgraded engines at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria at the Austrian Grand Prix, which begins on the 21st of June.
Of the manufacturers, Renault have used the least of their allotted 32 tokens. They have 12, while Mercedes, Ferrari and Honda each have 7 tokens remaining.
The Canadian Grand Prix begins this Friday, the 5th of June, at the Circuit de Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Canada.
