10 Place Grid Penalty Threat Looms Over Charles Leclerc as Ferrari Fluff Their Lines Yet Again

Ferrari‘s two drivers came to Bahrain with the intention of changing their fate, which saw them face ridicule last year. Not only did they face reliability issues, but they also ran some questionable strategies that saw them throw away a precious lead. While they seem to be quicker than last year, they still haven’t shown enough of it to challenge Red Bull to race win. Moreover, Charles Leclerc bowing out because of engine failure in the very first race exposed the Prancing Horse further. Now the latest development coming out from Maranello has brought out some big revelations that could see the Monegasque’s troubles increase in the coming race in Jeddah.

Making the most of what he had, Leclerc kept himself behind the two Red Bulls in Bahrain. As the race was progressing, a podium finish looked almost certain. However, bad luck hit once again as the race moved towards Lap41. Much to the disappointment of the Tifosi, we saw Charles’ SF-23 slow down and eventually come to a halt.

The latest development coming out from the red team’s quarters isn’t too reassuring either. As per Formu1a.uno’s recent report, “when Leclerc’s car was disassembled and checked, the fault was found in the ERS-battery pack. These two drives will not be recoverable. Probably replacing the control unit and the ES (energy store) before the start didn’t prevent the problems 100%.”

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If the report is indeed true, Charles might have to take a 10-place grid penalty (for each component) in the next race. That is because reportedly neither components, as of now are recoverable and the Monegasque has already used 2 of each. In short, the misery at Maranello will continue, at least until the next race in Saudi Arabia.

Charles Leclerc feels Ferrari is no match to Red Bull’s continued dominance

Speaking in the post-race interview, Leclerc expressed his disappointment at not finishing the race. He also admitted that they did not expect to match Red Bull’s performance and Sergio Perez overtaking him was just a matter of time.

As quoted by Si.com, he said, “In terms of race pace, we need to improve because we are sitting. They have obviously found something special. In qualifying, we are all close together, but in the race, they are often a second faster than us. They are really in a different category.”

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Ferrari now has a dual challenge waiting for them in Saudi Arabia. Firstly, they need to find a way to match Red Bull’s pace. And secondly, they need to find a way to avoid taking multiple grid penalties for Leclerc.