Ferrari driver Leclerc already collects a hefty grid penalty at the second race of the year | formula 1

March 15, 2023 at 3:27 p.m

Charles Leclerc has to move ten places back on the grid at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Sunday. Ferrari has already replaced Leclerc’s so-called control electronics for the second time this year in the run-up to the race in Jeddah. That will put him on a hefty grid penalty.

A week and a half ago, Ferrari also replaced Leclerc’s control electronics just before the start of the Bahrain Grand Prix, the first race of the season. During the race they broke again, so that Leclerc retired in third place.

Teams are only allowed to use two copies of the control electronics per season. Because Ferrari is already using the third copy in Jeddah next weekend, there will be a penalty.

“On Sunday in Bahrain, we had problems at two different times,” Ferrari team boss Frédéric Vasseur told the Formula 1 site. “The first moment was just before the race when we started the car. Unfortunately, the second moment was during the race.”

According to Vasseur, Ferrari has never experienced such a problem. “I hope it’s under control now,” he says. “We assume that, because we have analyzed everything thoroughly.”

Max Verstappen took the victory at the opening race in Bahrain. His Red Bull teammate Sergio Pérez finished second and Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso completed the podium. Leclerc’s teammate Carlos Sainz crossed the finish line in fourth. The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix starts at 6 p.m. on Sunday.

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