What is Energy Store in F1 Cars? Use of equipment allowed to change only twice a season explored

A turbo-hybrid V8 engine used in modern F1 cars since the start of the 2014 season is made of different parts that provide power to a car. Engine components like Internal Combustion Engine, Energy Store, and Exhaust are some of the terms that fans of the sport may have heard on the broadcast.

Each component of the Turbo-Hybrid works very intricately and provides power to the cars. Ahead of the opening race in Bahrain for 2023, Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc took a new Energy Store before the race.

The Energy Store is a storage space for the power unit's lithium-ion battery, along with the control electronics. It supplies the necessary energy to the MGU-K and MGU-H part of the power unit so that they can provide a power boost and control the turbochargers respectively. It is also essential in the battery harvesting process in turbo-hybrid engines.

Each driver on the F1 2023 grid is only allowed two Energy Stores for the entire season by the FIA before they get penalized each time they use a new energy store.

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Charles Leclerc to take a new Energy Store ahead of the 2023 F1 Bahrain GP

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc will take a new Energy Store ahead of the first race of the season. By using a new power unit component so early in the season, the Monegasque driver has left himself susceptible to a place grid penalty later in the season.

Leclerc finished the qualifying session in P3 after abandoning his final Q3 run. When asked if he had any issues, the 25-year-old said:

“No, there wasn’t any issue. I think we were in a fight for pole, which was a good surprise, to be honest, because I did not expect that after testing and after the free practices that were a little bit difficult.

“We managed to find that pace for the quali lap, which was great. However, we need to keep in our mind that in the race run, we seem to be a little bit on the back foot compared to Red Bull. And I think we are in a better place starting third with new tires than starting first with old, or a bit further up [than third]. I don’t know if we will have gotten a pole or not. But it would have been close.”

It would be interesting to see if the Ferrari F1 driver can challenge Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez for the race win.