Ferrari says its use of six turbochargers in just over three races is a strategic decision that it does not think will result in a grid penalty later in the season.
Under Formula One's current regulations, drivers incur grid penalties if they use more than four of certain power unit components during the course of the season. The turbocharger is one of those components and Ferrari started the Russian Grand Prix weekend by fitting a third turbocharger of the sesaon to each car, leaving just one new turbocharger per car for the rest of the year.
However, the previously-used turbochargers can still be used again if they are not damaged and Ferrari engine boss Luigi Fraboni stressed that the changes so far have all been precautionary to limit the chances of a failure early in the season.
"At the moment we are facing the first races with some small problems that we are analysing and the changes we have done so far for the engine and the turbo are just to be cautious because we are in a strategic part of the season and we don't want to make a mistake at the moment," Fraboni said. "What we have seen at the moment is that we should be within the fourth element of each component of the power unit up until the end of the season."
The power unit's appetite for new turbochargers this early in the season also limits the team's ability to upgrade later in the year. Once a component is used at an event it cannot be updated or changed, so unless Ferrari takes a penalty it will only have one more opportunity to bring a turbo update this year.
"Of course if you have used three turbo it means you are missing one," Fraboni said. "Then we will do the development we can for the missing one, but for us it was important to do what we have done for the moment, as I said, for a strategic reason."