A ninth engine for Vettel?

Sebastian Vettel is not having the most peaceful end to the season. Since suffering two engine failures in Valencia, the German driver knows that he has few blocks left to end the year, while each driver can only use eight over the entire season. Despite everything, Fabrice Lom, in charge of operating the engines Renault in Red Bull, claims that Vettel is only limited in performance and mileage on the first day of each Grand Prix.

« The choice was clearly made not to take an engine penalty with Sébastien and to reduce the mileage on Friday, recognizes Lom in the Renault podcast F1 team. On the other hand, we have never limited either the mileage or the performance on Saturday and Sunday. He was on par with any driver. It is only limited to around a hundred kilometers on Friday. »

Sebastian Vettel, only being able to rely on engines that have already run a lot, could benefit from a ninth engine in 2009. " Given the poor results we are having at the moment, it is not impossible that we use a ninth engine to allow it to do more kilometers on Friday. It is a choice that we must make in the days to come. »

However, this maneuver would not be without risk. If, on the one hand, Sebastian Vettel could thus accumulate more kilometers in free practice, he would be penalized on the starting grid for the next Grand Prix, if this choice is made. “ That would mean ten penalty places in Singapore, confirms Lom, so a very difficult race. This would almost mean giving up on the Singapore result. »