Another flaw for Ferrari at the start of Formula 1: Leclerc will have ten penalties in the Saudi Arabian GP

The season of Formula 1 It didn’t start out the way you dreamed it would charles leclercthe rider who in mid-2022 fought for the championship against Max Verstappen. After abandoning him in the first GP, in Bahrain, the Monegasque will be penalized with ten positions on the starting grid the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

The penalty imposed on the Ferrari driver is given as a result of replacement of an electronic component of the battery for the third time, after the two granted throughout the season that ran out in the context of the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Frédéric Vasseur, Mattia Binotto’s replacement at the helm of the F1 team, said they will have to change the car in Saudi Arabia for the third time electronic control unit.

“There were two problems: one on Sunday morning when we turned on the ignition and another in the race. Unfortunately it was the battery twice and that’s something we’ve never experienced in the past,” explained who was in charge of the ‘Alfa Romeo up to the last season.

“I hope we have everything under control now. We have a thorough analysis on this. But unfortunately, we will have to take the penalty in Jeddah because we only have two heats left for the season“, It reaffirmed.

That mechanical problem on 5 March forced the young Monegasque driver to retire in the final part of the race in Bahrain, in the first race of a season in which Ferrari presented itself as the great adversary of the favorites Red Bull, who however didn’t even I know he got on the podium because Carlos Sainz finished fourth.

Leclerc is already 25 points behind in the World Cup standings compared to the current two-time champion, the Dutch Max Verstappen, winner in Bahrain. Despite this, Vasseur stressed that “it’s clear that he’s still motivated.”

“The penalty isn’t good news, but it’s not the end of the season either. Don’t imagine for a second that (Leclerc) could be demotivated. He’s completely convinced, he’s working with us, pushing the team, pushing everyone in a positive way. We only did one race out of a total of twenty-three,” recalled the French engineer.