Leclerc Gets a 10-Place Grid Penalty for Jeddah
Charles Leclerc is handed a 10-place grid penalty for changing the same electronics component that forced him to retire during the Bahrain Gran Prix. This is the third time Ferrari changes this part, and the FIA only allows for two changes per season before incurring a penalty.
Fred Vasseur, the team director said: "There were two issues, one on the Sunday morning when we did the fire-up and one in the race, unfortunately, it was two times the control electronics box and it's something that we never experienced in the past.”
During the Bahrain Grand Prix, Leclerc had to bail just before Q3 ended, because the control electronics was not performing as expected; the team changed the part before the race. Come Sunday, as Vasseur mentioned, they had issues during the fire-up process with the newly fitted control electronics, which later forced Leclerc to retire on lap 41, just 16 laps before the end of the race.
He expresses his hope that this matter is under control, and that they had to take the penalty on Jeddah because of the rules only allowing two control electronic changes per season.
The 'control electronics' is the component in charge of receiving energy from the heat of the engine gases, or the kinetic energy produced during breaking; it transforms it into horsepower for the combustion engine. It is part of the whole power unit system in a Formula 1 car.
Hard work during the winter
It seems that this problem is not directly related to the reliability issues the team suffered during the 2022 season. Enrico Gualtieri, who is Ferrari’s engine boss, worked with his team heavily in the dynamometer, and even the assembly processes to rule out any possible issues.
The work done was quite a meticulous one; he said that: "We worked mainly on those areas that gave us the most trouble last season. So, we focused on the internal combustion engine and the electric motors. However, at the same time, we tried to capitalize on the experience gained on track last season.”
He also mentioned that at the same time they: "...revised, when necessary, our assembly procedures. The work involved all the PU personnel as well as our colleagues in the supply chain and our suppliers."
It has been quite an extensive and meticulous process during the winter; the team worked hard to solve any potential reliability issues, and also work on the weaknesses they had during the 2022 season.
As Vasseur mentioned, the control electronics failure is like nothing they had experienced in the past. It is a rare situation, and it seems that there is no indication it is related to the reliability issues the team suffered during the last season.
Leclerc’s chances
The ‘tifosi’ get a second blow and we are just two races in. What can this penalty mean for Leclerc's aspirations? Are his chances of a podium finish deterred? We can assume that he will finish Q3 in third or fourth place; it means he will start the race on thirteenth or fourteenth. He will start behind the Aston Martins, the Alfas, the McLarens, and the Alpines.
It is going to be a difficult race for him, but the nature of the track might help him get a few places back. The real threat is the Aston Martin cars, and the Mercedes will prove difficult to overtake.
A realistic goal for Leclerc is to finish the race fifth or sixth. He will have to pass one of the Aston Martin, and one of the Mercedes; it is quite difficult, but not impossible. If something happens to one of the cars, Leclerc might have a shot at a podium finish, even so, he will still have to overtake his teammate, Carlos Sainz, who could be a lot of seconds ahead of him, albeit, if there has not been any Safety Car deployment.
The track is narrow, and given its 'street-like' nature, the walls might get some victims, especially the drivers pushing too much to gain positions. There is a significant likelihood that a Safety Car can happen at some point during the race. This can certainly benefit Leclerc if he has the pace to move up the grid during the green flag.
Aston Martin is quite good this year, and if the other teams like Ferrari, and Mercedes are not on the top of their game, and if they present issues, it is certain that the British team will snatch valuable points from them, and even podium finishes, like in Bahrain. For the 'tifosi's' sake, let us hope that Ferrari proves to be strong on the straights, and that Aston Martin has a difficult time trying to get ahead of them, or at least Sainz.
What are your thoughts on Leclerc’s penalty? Are Ferrari’s hopes hindered? Can they secure a podium finish?
Let me know in the comments below.
Happy racing.
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