Charles Leclerc’s 2023 Formula 1 campaign took another hit after his DNF in Bahrain two weeks ago, as Ferrari confirmed he will be hit by a grid penalty in Jeddah for a new energy store and Electronics Control Unit (ECU).
Leclerc retired from the 2023 Formula 1 season opener in Bahrain, and it was revealed by Ferrari Team Principal Frederic Vasseur that the problem had to do with the SF-23’s energy store and ECU.
Speaking to the media in Jeddah on Wednesday and quoted by F1’s Official Website, Vasseur said: “On Sunday [in Bahrain], we had two different issues.
“The first one was on the Sunday morning, when we did the fire up, and the second one was in the race. Unfortunately, it was two times the control unit, the ECU,” he lamented.
“It’s something that we never experienced in the past,” the Frenchman added. “I hope now it’s under control, but we have a deep analysis on this. Unfortunately, we’ll have to take the penalty in Jeddah, because we have only a pool of two control units for the season.”
Leclerc will take a third ECU in Jeddah one more than the maximum allowed per season, resulting in a 10-place grid penalty.
Leclerc motivated despite early season frustrations
Reports in the media claimed there is turmoil within the walls of Maranello, Vasseur in a power struggle with CEO Benedetto Vigna, and Leclerc frustrated by the situation holding a meeting with Ferrari Chairman John Elkann.
But Vasseur insisted his star driver is motivated and ready to go; he revealed: “Charles was with us after the tyre test day on Tuesday, was at the factory on Wednesday morning.
“We had a speech with the employees, where we were all together on stage. It’s obvious Charles is motivated, we have done one race of 23.
“He’s full push with the team, trying to get the best for everyone,” the former Alfa Romeo and Renault boss insisted. “The penalty is not good news, but it’s not the end of the season.
“Let’s see what happens in Jeddah, and what could be the outcome, even with the penalty, but don’t imagine for half a second he could be demotivated.
“He’s fully convinced, he’s working with us, pushing the team, pushing everybody in a positive way. And nothing else,” Vasseur concluded.
In addition to the reliability concerns, Ferrari suffered from excessive tyre degradation in Bahrain, but Carlos Sainz who finished fourth there is hoping the problem wouldn’t be as bad in Jeddah due to its different track surface, while the high-speed nature of the Jeddah Corniche circuit might favour Ferrari as well.