F1: Ferrari has already used 2 out of 4 engines - worrying for the future?

Five Grands Prix, two engines. Ferrari has already consumed half of its 2025 power unit allocation (four per season), a pace that may worry fans... but is in line with a perfectly assumed strategy. In comparison, Mercedes is much more conservative, and has always used a single engine on its cars. So, should we be alarmed for the Scuderia ?

A well-planned engine rotation...

Ferrari, Red Bull, Racing Bulls and Alpine all installed their second power units at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. This early rotation is not due to breakdowns or reliability problems, but to a strategic choice: to have a fresh engine for demanding circuits like Jeddah, where the throttle remains open at over 70 % per lap.

These new engine blocks (combustion engine, turbocharger, MGU-H, MGU-K) will then be partially reused on less fuel-hungry circuits such as Monaco or during free practice.

"We choose components based on their past service life, the virtual models we've developed and their actual use," explained Enrico Gualtieri, Ferrari's engine division manager. The aim is to optimize performance throughout the season.

Mercedes, prudence as policy

On the other hand, Mercedes and its customers (McLaren, Aston Martin, Williams) have not yet changed engines. The only exception is George Russell, who received new electronic components at Suzuka, probably for reliability reasons.

This more conservative management aims to minimize the risk of penalties at the end of the season. If Ferrari or Red Bull were to exceed the four units allowed, each additional replacement would result in penalty places on the grid.

Engine review after 5 Grands Prix

Driver	Team	Motorist	Number of motors
Piastri	McLaren	Mercedes	1
Norris	McLaren	Mercedes	1
Leclerc	Scuderia Ferrari	Ferrari	2
Hamilton	Scuderia Ferrari	Ferrari	2
Verstappen	Redbull Racing	Honda	2
Tsunoda	Redbull Racing	Honda	2
Russell	Mercedes	Mercedes	1
Antonelli	Mercedes	Mercedes	1
Stroll	Aston Martin	Mercedes	1
Alonso	Aston Martin	Mercedes	1
Gasly	Alpine	Renault	2
Doohan	Alpine	Renault	2
Ocon	Haas	Ferrari	1
Bearman	Haas	Ferrari	2
Hadjar	Racing Bulls	Honda	2
Lawson	Racing Bulls	Honda	3 🔥
Albon	Williams	Mercedes	1
Sainz	Williams	Mercedes	1
Bortoleto	Stake F1	Ferrari	1
Hulkenberg	Stake F1	Ferrari	1

What impact will this have on the rest of the season?

For Ferrari, this anticipatory approach is nothing new: the Scuderia regularly adopts this type of rotation to take advantage of a new engine on key circuits. But with 19 races still to go, the margin for error is limited: an engine failure or a poorly planned replacement strategy could force the team to exceed its quota.

For its part, Mercedes plays it safe in terms of regulations... but may have to give up some ground in terms of performance on certain circuits, due to a lack of new engines.

At this stage, there's no red alert at Ferrari. If the rotation strategy bears fruit without incident, it could save precious tenths on circuits where power is key. On the other hand, the slightest breakdown could be costly.