Red Bull and Ferrari drivers to use new exhaust system

Several drivers are set to race with a new exhaust system at this weekend’s Portuguese Grand Prix while three drivers are due to complete the second race at Portimao with a fresh gearbox.

For the 2021 FIA Formula One World Championship, exhaust systems have been added to the list of limited-use components, with each driver allowed no more than eight per season.

Should a driver exceed that limit, grid penalties will apply, just as with engines (ICE) (three per season), motor generator units-heat (MGU-H) (three), turbochargers (TC) (three), energy stores (ES) (two), control electronics (CE) (two), and motor generator units-kinetic (MGU-K) (three).

At this weekend’s Portuguese Grand Prix, eight drivers will race with a fresh exhaust system. Red Bull’s duo of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, Ferrari’s duo of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, AlphaTauri’s duo of Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda and Alfa Romeo’s duo of Kimi Räikkönen and Antonio Giovinazzi will all race with a car equipped with a fresh exhaust system. While it is the first change for seven of them, the Japanese driver has already used two exhaust systems.

Elsewhere, Alpine Renault has already used more than one exhaust system. Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso got a new exhaust system ahead of the second race of the season at Imola after he retired in the first race in Bahrain due to damage caused by overheating of the rear brakes. His team mate Esteban Ocon has also already used two exhaust systems.

Valtteri Bottas, George Russell and Yuki Tsunoda will use a fresh gearbox at Portimao.