In Canada, Leclerc under threat of a first engine penalty

The mechanical problems encountered in Azerbaijan a few days ago do not put Charles Leclerc and Ferrari in a good position for the Canadian Grand Prix where a first engine penalty could fall.

Published on 16/06/2022 à 11:02

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In Canada, Leclerc under threat of a first engine penalty

In Canada, Charles Leclerc could suffer his first engine penalty of the season. ©DPPI/F. Gooden

After a great start to the season, Ferrari is going through a difficult time. If he has a string of pole positions (4 in a row: Miami, Spain, Monaco and Azerbaijan), Charles Leclerc does not meet the same success on Sundays where he has not achieved any success during the last 4 outings. Between strategic errors and mechanical problems, the Monegasque is going through a zone of turbulence which could continue this weekend during the Canadian Grand Prix.

Risk of engine penalty for Leclerc

In the streets of Baku last weekend, Charles Leclerc saw his mechanics betray him shortly before halfway, leaving the way clear for Max Verstappen in the championship and above all causing headaches in the ranks of the Scuderia. In a record season of 22 Grands Prix, the teams have a limited number of engine parts which does not offer them a large margin for error.

At Ferrari for example, we are already starting to worry about the rest of the season even though only 8 Grands Prix have been contested so far. The 2^e abandonment of the season of Charles Leclerc, of which we are still awaiting the real causes, in fact undermines the engine department of Maranello since the Monegasque embarked his 3^e turbocharger thus reaching the limit authorized by the governing bodies. Once this figure is exceeded, the Reds driver will not be able to escape the first engine penalty of the year, starting at the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend.

The Scuderia at the limit

With a 3^e turbocharger used after those changed in Miami when the first developments were made and in Monaco after its abandonment in Spain, Charles Leclerc is more than ever under threat. Approaching the 9^e round of the campaign, Scuderia Ferrari finds itself faced with a dilemma: whether or not to mount a 4^e turbocharger on the F1-75 from the Monegasque.

In Montreal this weekend, the Transalpines will therefore have two choices: reinstall the first turbocharger used during the first 4 Grands Prix of the year or exceed the authorized allocation and thus suffer their first penalty on the grid. A difficult choice for the Scuderia which at the start of the year was nevertheless one of the teams with the fewest reliability problems unlike Red Bull.

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