How crucial engine performance was was highlighted by Ferrari's erratic performance in the final races of the Formula 1 season, particularly from struggles in Mexico to battling Red Bull in Abu Dhabi.
Follow Us
There were two factors at play in this situation. The first was that the power unit’s configuration, particularly the size of its turbo, was not suitable for the high-altitude races in Mexico and Brazil. Beyond that, though, was Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto’s affirmation during the last race that the Maranello team had to reduce engine performance in the latter part of the year due to reliability issues. Earlier in the campaign, some dramatic and expensive engine failures—including Charles Leclerc’s blow-ups in Spain and Baku, as well as Carlos Sainz’s fiery exit in Austria—had necessitated the need to dial things back while a fix was being implemented.
Binotto briefly mentioned that “we had to slightly lower the power. Yes, we were forced to act. However, it has since come to light that Ferrari was able to race aggressively once more in Abu Dhabi with its 066/7 engine because the team thought it had discovered a fix for the earlier reliability issues. The spark plug in the pre-chamber has reportedly been identified as the power unit’s weak point. The Turbulent Jet Ignition (TJI) combustion technology, which Mahle made available to Ferrari in 2016, enabling the team to reduce the power gap with Mercedes. This was the most recent iteration of the TJI combustion system.
Since then, a system that has been optimised for the most recent generation of power units that were homologated to remain frozen until the end of the 2025 season has advanced significantly. The spark plug and the fuel injector are both parts of the TJI system. Both components cooperate to assist maximise power and are housed in a well in the cylinder head. Fewer than three percent of the fuel is pumped into the pre-combustion chamber; the remainder distributes across the piston surface. The “cap” has a particularly rich combination, whereas the chamber’s combustion agent is leaner and contains more air than fuel.
