Nothing has been good for Charles Leclerc and Ferrari for several races and this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix promises to be tough for Monegasque and his team. Even his second place in free practice on Friday, just 81 thousandths of a second from Max Verstappen, should pick up a grain of salt.
Pips have piled up for Leclerc since the Spanish Grand Prix last month, where he proved a serious title contender after winning two in the opening three races of the season.
Because his machine betrayed him on Sunday in Baku, Azerbaijan, Leclerc was forced to retire for the second time in three races, knocking him down to third in the championship, 34 points behind leader Verstappen.
And Ferrari confirmed on Friday that the engine was damaged irrevocable forcing him to make changes to the machine, including the installation of a new electronic control unit. Suddenly, Leclerc will be punished by 10 spots on the grid in Montreal.
Under the circumstances, Scuderia could still decide on Sunday to change the complete engine, which would lead to a new penalty and convict the driver for leaving behind the grid. Note that Leclerc has claimed six top positions in eight races this season.
Asked about it before the first free practice at the Gilles-Villeneuve circuit on Friday morning, Leclerc admitted the situation was delicate.
Of course, we are not in the best position. We continue to discuss machine replacement. So far, no decision has been made, but it is clearly not the best situation.
One thing is for sure, Ferrari will want to revive this weekend after the double abandonment of Leclerc and Carlos Sainz in Baku.
This is one of those circuits where it’s pretty easy to reach, Leclerc’s philosophy, as if trying to persuade oneself to the idea of being sanctioned.
The source of the engine failure in Baku could be the Spanish Grand Prix, where Leclerc had to retire while leading the race.
One of the possible reasons for the failure was that it occurred as a result of the power unit issue in Spainsaid Ferrari in a statement. We are now taking countermeasures to strengthen the power unit and the situation is under control.
Ferrari’s priority on Sunday was largely to ensure the reliability of its two vehicles so they could cross the finish line.
The Canadian Press
Source: Radio-Canada
