Ferrari hopes to salvage engine from Raikkonen's Bahrain failure
Ferrari is hopeful it can salvage the engine that stopped Kimi Raikkonen on track during the opening Formula 1 free practice session for the Bahrain Grand Prix
Raikkonen pulled over to the side of the track with smoke coming from the back of his car in FP1, having been ordered by his team to slowly make his way back to the pits.
Ferrari later said it was a turbo problem that stopped him, and it changed the internal combustion engine, turbo and MGU-H on his car for FP2.
"We had a power unit issue with Kimi - it was quite obvious," said Ferrari technical director Mattia Binotto.
"We changed it for the afternoon just as a precaution, it was important for us to make sure Kimi could run the afternoon trouble-free.
"What happened is still to be fully understood. We analysed all the parts and hopefully all the elements of the power unit can be used again once they are sorted out."
Raikkonen, who was fourth fastest when he did get out in practice two, played down the significance of the problem in the first session.
"It was nothing to do with the engine, it was some control issue with the turbo," he said.
"It stopped us in the early part of practice so the guys did a good job to fix the car and be ready for second practice.
"It could have been better but that's how it goes."
ELECTRICAL PROBLEM HALTED VETTEL
Ferrari appeared to be in more trouble in FP2 when Vettel's car shut down in the same area of the track where Raikkonen stopped in the first session.
However, the German was able to coast the car back to the pits after leaning forward to reach the 'neutral' button ahead of the cockpit, and he rejoined the action shortly afterwards.
Binotto described it as "a minor electrical problem" and said Ferrari was "not too worried" about it.
Vettel, who topped both Friday sessions, added: "It must have been some sort of glitch, all of a sudden everything was dark.
"As we saw after there was no damage - we were lucky that we could recover with the issue happening late in the lap.
"Nowadays cars are not just cars, there's also a lot of technology and software involved, so obviously something went wrong on that side."
Share Or Save This Story
Krack: Aston Martin F1 team no longer in “no-man’s land”
Gasly rues costly floor damage from Ocon contact in F1 Japanese GP
How an F1 underachiever became a Japanese political player
What F1 history tells us about three-way title deciders
On this day: Raikkonen’s Suzuka masterclass
The contrasting fortunes of F1's big-name moves to Ferrari
Hamilton’s sim-less approach seems to pay off as he outqualifies Leclerc twice at Canadian GP
Ferrari is down on power "even to Ford", says Leclerc
"We love V8s" - What F1 manufacturers think about future engine regulations
Why wet Canadian GP will be "the perfect storm" for F1
BTCC Snetterton: Rainford dominates to lead home Ingram
Why we need to talk about social media in F1
Super Formula Suzuka: Fukuzumi sees off Iwasa for Rookie Racing's first win
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments