According to the latest reports, Ferrari will be running a newer engine once the season gets underway. Rumors report that the Scuderia has developed an update for its SF1000’s power unit that the team will use for the first race. Furthermore, there are reports of the team introducing an updated nose and employing minor tweaks for necessary gains.

Ferrari bringing a new engine to the first race of the season

Allegedly, the engine Ferrari intends to use for the first race is completely different from the one that the team used in pre-season testing. Motorsport.com reports that the team has developed a slightly more powerful Spec 2 engine. Apparently, Ferrari developed the newer engine even before the first race and planned to use the engine in Melbourne.

Reports suggest the updated engine outputs an extra 20 horsepower and will be cleared for use once it passes durability tests. One of the biggest stories from pre-season testing was Ferrari’s lack of pace. It is impossible to verify what engine modes and fuel loads the team was running but they didn’t exactly set the timing charts on fire.

One intriguing aspect of winter testing was Ferrari’s lack of straight-line speed. It was quite clear through the speed traps that Ferrari had lost its fabled top speed. Even the drivers confirmed this but praised the car for its agility through the slow and medium-speed corners.

Apart from the new engine, rumors also suggest the development of a modified nose and suspension. Several teams opted for a narrow, tapering nose design whereas Ferrari went in the other direction. However, it appears the Maranello outfit is reprofiling the nose with a minor modification to close the gap to rivals.

Allegedly, the Scuderia is also fitting in a new hydraulic component to improve engine performance.

The SF1000 made massive gains where its predecessor struggled. However, it sacrificed some all-important straight-line speed. Team principal Mattia Binotto downplayed the team’s form and claimed Ferrari would struggle in the first few races. With no racing so far, it is impossible to know if Ferrari truly lacks pace or has taken a page out of Mercedes’ book in sandbagging.