Explained: Why F1 power units are struggling with reliability this season

It has been a strange start to the 2023 season as all power unit manufacturers in F1 have been facing reliability concerns since the first race of the season.

Apart from Alpine, the other three suppliers Ferrari, Mercedes, and Red Bull Honda have faced issues in the first three races of the season. Charles Leclerc has already taken a 10-place grid penalty for exceeding his engine store usage. As per AutoUndMotorSport, the engine freeze from the FIA has affected all manufacturers.

It limits them from making changes to the power unit throughout the course of the season. While the governing body froze its power units last season, manufacturers were allowed to make one last change in 2023 and only make improvements that should ensure stability is allowed.

F1 Grand Prix of Australia

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"It’s all about focusing on what we can do better" - Ferrari F1 driver

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc stated that the April break is an opportunity for the Italian F1 team to make changes and improvements to their car.

Speaking to F1.com, he said:

“I think in the situation we are in as a team, we take this as an opportunity to work as much as possible during this break in order to get upgrades as quickly as possible and be as competitive as we want sooner in this season. It’s still a very, very long season. We're fully motivated to get back on top and we’ll try to use these weeks [before Azerbaijan] in the best way possible.”

“We know the story about last year, and now it’s all about focusing on what we can do better to improve and to come back to their [Red Bull’s] level. We know where we need to work on it and now we just need to make it happen."

Hopefully, for Leclerc, Ferrari can make the necessary changes to their car and bring upgrades that might bring them closer to leaders Red Bull. Nonetheless, with everyone struggling with power unit issues, that task might be easier said than done.