Ferrari plays it safe with Raikkonen engine change

Ferrari has made a "precautionary" engine change on Kimi Raikkonen's SF71-H after the team was alerted by a puff of smoke emitted by the car in Friday's second free practice session.

Raikkonen was conducting a qualifying simulation when an alarming telemetry reading prompted the team to tell the Finn to immediately switch off his engine, which he did, rolling slowly back into the pitlane.

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"At one point we had some issues and I was told by the team to stop the car," said Raikkonen.

"We still don’t know what happened, but we’ll figure it out. In the evening we’ll have some work to do. We’ll go through everything and understand."

An initial inspection of the unit failed to reveal a specific issue but as a matter of precaution it was decided to replace the engine on the #7 Ferrari for the remainder of the Spanish Grand Prix weekend.

Raikkonen will not receive a grid penalty for the change as it is his first power unit switch of the season, with drivers allowed this year a total of three engines for the 21-race schedule.

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