When he was leading the race of the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2022, Charles Leclerc was forced to leave due to a reliability problem in his power unit, a serious failure that had set the alarms on the Monegasque driver for the next event.
Once landed in Montreal , Ferrari confirmed that there was a possibility that they would have to mount a completely new engine in the #16 car that would carry a penalty for the starting grid of the 2022 Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix.
However, the first measure taken by the Maranello team was precisely to avoid said penalty, changing the vast majority of components of the Leclerc power unit, but not the turbo, which was the part that, if replaced by a new specification would have exceeded the maximum limit set by the FIA (3) for the 2022 season.
Yes, the ICE (internal combustion engine), the MGU-H, MGU-K and the electronic control system (CE) had been replaced at first. And precisely that last piece was replaced again after the second free practice session on Friday, which brings him to three (only two are allowed per season) and causes Leclerc to receive a penalty of 10 positions on the grid on Sunday.
Ferrari finally made the decision to fit a fresh element in Charles Leclerc ‘s F1-75, and the Monegasque will have to come out on the attack in Sunday’s race.
Due to this last minute change, the FIA has confirmed the sanction of ten positions for the #16, who thus bids farewell to adding a new pole position to his personal account.
The main concern going into the weekend was Leclerc’s turbocharger after the new one, unveiled in Azerbaijan, was damaged in a power unit failure. However, he still has a usable one within his party for the season, meaning no change has been required so far.
Speaking in the morning well before his suspension, Leclerc admitted it was “not the best position” to be dealing with penalties so early in the season.
“This is one of the tracks where it’s quite easy to overtake, but there are also tracks in the next three or four races where it’s also quite easy to overtake,” he said.
His best starting position for this Sunday, should he set the fastest time in qualifying, will be 11th place, so Leclerc will have to focus more on minimizing damage and leaving Canada with the fewest points lost.
Last season, Red Bull and Mercedes calculated well when to penalize, in the midst of a fierce battle for the title. This year, already in the ninth race, Ferrari has had to see how its main candidate for the world championship suffered a penalty on the grid.
Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez don’t seem too worried about it for now. Despite the reliability problems suffered at the beginning of the campaign, only the Dutch driver is close to penalizing one of the elements of his power unit, the same one that caused fear of Leclerc’s sanction; the turbo , but that has not been the final cause.
In addition to Leclerc, Yuki Tsunoda, who was fitted with a new power unit, also suffered a grid penalty. The Japanese will come out last.
