Charles Leclerc already facing engine penalty after Bahrain GP retirement – Report

Charles Leclerc was using his second energy store component (out of two allowed) as a precaution in Bahrain, and the component is not recoverable.

Charles Leclerc already facing engine penalty after Bahrain GP retirement – Report

Charles Leclerc

Ferrari’s season is off to a disastrous start. You could say it’s almost the opposite of what happened in 2022. Back then, both Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez had retired in quick succession late on during the race, while Charles Leclerc dominated. This time around, Verstappen comfortably won the race, and Perez followed up, and it was Leclerc who retired rather late on.

It had been a tough weekend for Leclerc and Ferrari. Coming off the back of an incredible pre-season test, Red Bull were always going to be the favorites in Bahrain. But it seems the weekend had many setbacks in store for the Monegasque. Carlos Sainz, too, had some issues and then struggled massively with the degradation during the race. But Leclerc bore the brunt of it.

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First, just before starting his first qualifying lap, he had a wheel-arch fall off his car. On Sunday, it came out that Ferrari had taken two new engine components – control electronics and the energy store – for Leclerc’s car, as a precaution. This means he was on his second for both components, from two allowed. He can still go back to the first components, but this was before even a single lap of racing action had taken place. Clearly not a good sign, and the weekend ended in tears for him.

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Read More: Why did Charles Leclerc retire from the Bahrain GP 2023?

Charles Leclerc’s DNF was reportedly caused by energy store components

Charles Leclerc has taken new control electronics and a energy store for the Bahrain GP
Charles Leclerc

Ferrari’s precautionary measure definitely did not work out. According to respected Italian journalist Giuliano Duchessa of formu1a.uno, the reason for Charles Leclerc’s retirement was in fact found in the ERS battery pack! It was the replaced component, the energy store(s), which failed and caused the DNF. Apparently, the control electronics was also involved in this. Neither component is recoverable.

And because drivers only have two energy stores in their allocation, it means Leclerc is already facing a 10-place grid penalty. If the first energy store component is not fixed and examined in time, he will have to take a penalty, maybe even in Jeddah. In just the second race of the season. If it is, he’ll likely have to take a penalty in the future anyways. Clearly, not ideal, for his or Ferrari’s title hopes.

Another thing to note is that the retirement was unrelated to the issues Ferrari faced in 2022, and the team are yet to truly understand why it happened. That will take time, but they can’t take too much of that – if they hope to win the title, this cannot happen again. They need to get back to business soon and improve in Jeddah in order to challenge Red Bull…and perhaps even Aston Martin.

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