Leclerc handed 10-place grid penalty for Saudi Arabian GP
Thursday, 16 March 2023
Ferrari was forced to fit a third electronics control unit on the car.
Charles Leclerc will receive a 10-place grid penalty at this weekend's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after Ferrari fitted a third electronics control unit.
At the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, Ferrari needed to use a second ECU before Leclerc retired from the race after suffering another problem with the component.
Across a season, drivers are restricted to using just two ECUs and going over the permitted amount results in a grid penalty.
Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur said: "On Sunday, we had two different issues. The first one was on the Sunday morning when we did the fire-up, and the second one was in the race.
"Unfortunately, it was two times the control electronics box and it’s something that we never experienced in the past.
"I hope now it’s under control. We have a deep analysis on this.
"Unfortunately, we’ll have to take the penalty in Jeddah because we have only a pool of two control units for the season."
Leclerc was a dejected figure in Bahrain, where championship favourites Red Bull claimed a dominant one-two with winner Max Verstappen coming in a huge 39 seconds ahead of third-placed Fernando Alonso.
The Ferrari driver, who was third at time of his retirement, described Red Bull as being "on another planet" but Vasseur has no worries about Leclerc's mindset or his team's chances this season.
"It’s obvious Charles is motivated," added Vasseur, who is in his debut year as Ferrari boss.
"We have done one race of 23. He’s full push with the team, trying to get the best for everyone.
"The penalty is not good news, but it’s not the end of the season. Let’s see what happens in Jeddah, and what could be the outcome, even with the penalty.
"But don't imagine for even half a second he could be demotivated.
"He's fully convinced, he's working with us, pushing the team, pushing everybody in a positive way and nothing else."
If Ferrari need to replace any further parts of Leclerc's car in Saudi Arabia, the grid penalty will increase further than 10 grid spots.
