MGU-K problem at Red Bull-Honda engine fixed? 'We have fixes'

At Red Bull Racing, both Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez were unable to finish last week, but the first Grand Prix of the season in Bahrain also came to an early end for Pierre Gasly. The AlphaTauri driver had to park his AT03 on the side when a fire broke out. He too saw a DNF come after his name due to engine problems.

Red Bull and AlphaTauri are both driving the Red Bull-Honda powerplant. During the two weeks of testing prior to the season, no problems were detected with the engine, but when it mattered things went wrong. However, the reason for Gasly's failure was different from that of Red Bull drivers Verstappen and Perez.

In Gasly's case, it was not the fuel supply, but the MGU-K that was responsible for the stoppage. "There was a short circuit, and then a fire. We have fixes for this weekend, but of course there are no guarantees. It was not a good feeling, especially on this part of the track."

No second MGU-K for Gasly yet

Incidentally, it seems that the MGU-K is not completely written off. Documents released by the FIA in Saudi Arabia show that AlphaTauri has not deployed a second MGU-K at Gasly for the time being. However, there is of course a chance that this will still be done during the course of the weekend if it turns out that there is permanent damage.