F1
Upcoming penalty for Charles Leclerc in Jeddah
Penalty coming for Charles Leclerc - Photo Xavi Bonilla / DPPI
The 2023 season is off to a bad start for Charles Leclerc. After retiring at the end of the race in Bahrain while on the podium behind the Red Bull, the Monegasque driver will have to move back at least ten places on the starting grid for the second Grand Prix of the year, in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia).
« On Sunday (from Bahrain. Ed.) we experienced two problems, explained Frédéric Vasseur, the main team of Ferrari. The first appeared in the morning when the engine was started. The second during the race. Unfortunately, on two occasions it came from the electronic control unit. We have never experienced such a problem in the past. I hope the situation is under control after a lot of analysis work. We will take a penalty in Jeddah because we only have two electronic controls for the whole season. »
The Frenchman also explained the state of mind of his pilot after this new disappointment which is added to those experienced in 2022. “ Charles was unhappy after the abandonment but that's normal, declares Frédéric Vasseur. If the guy is happy after this kind of event, that would be a different story. (...) Charles was with us during the tire test day in Bahrain on Tuesday. He was at the factory Wednesday morning. We had a speech with the employees. (...) We know perfectly well what the situation is. »
If some could imagine a demotivated driver, the main team of the Scuderia ensured the opposite. “ It's obvious that Charles is motivated, replies the person concerned. We only did one race out of 23. How can you imagine he would be unmotivated? He tries to motivate everyone, to get the best out of the team. The penalty is not good news but it is not the end of the season either. Let's see what happens in Jeddah, including with a penalty. Don't imagine, even for half a second, that he is unmotivated. Charles is totally convinced, he works hard with us, he encourages everyone in a positive way. »
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Valentin GLO
Journalist. Endurance reporter (WEC, IMSA, ELMS, ALMS) and sometimes F1 or IndyCar.
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