After Ferrari triggered a penalty by replacing a power unit component on his Ferrari car, Charles Leclerc will drop 10 places on the grid for Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix 2022
The Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc is poised to incur an F1 grid penalty for the Canadian Grand Prix, but we take a look at why the driver will be penalized when the competition returns to Canada after a three-year hiatus.
Why Was Charles Leclerc Given A 10 Place Grid Penalty For The Canadian GP 2022 And Ferrari Power Unit Issue
Lecrec and Ferrari’s Woes Continue as Charles Lecrec Set to Incur Grid Penalty
Consider the Australian Grand Prix in April, when some thought Charles Leclerc had already clinched the championship three rounds into a 22-race schedule. After beating out major competitor Max Verstappen, he finished with 71 points compared to 25 points of Verstappen. After six races, Verstappen is on 150 points, while Leclerc is on 116, an 80-point difference in just five races from Imola to Baku.
In both Spain and Azerbaijan, Leclerc was knocked out of the lead, while Ferrari’s strategy paid him dearly in his home race in Monaco, lowering him from first to fourth. However, Leclerc is expected to get a grid penalty in Canada as a result of Ferrari’s problems.
Why Charles Lecrec will Incur Grid Penalty?
The Ferrari power unit decided to go on strike in both Spain and Azerbaijan, costing Leclerc two possible victories and 50 points. After the detonation, Ferrari announced that the Baku PU was beyond repair.
This was the second PU of the season for the Monegasque, with drivers being granted a specific number of components during the year. To keep prices down and increase reliability from the power unit manufacturers, the turbo and Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) are limited to three components.
For installing new control electronics on his Ferrari, Charles Leclerc faces at least a 10-place grid penalty in the Canadian Grand Prix. Only two of them can be used throughout the season, according to the engine rules, with Leclerc taking his third following FP2 in Montreal, when he finished 0.081s behind session leader Verstappen.
Options for Ferrari regarding Grid Penalty Dilemma
If Ferrari decides to take dramatic action, Charles Leclerc might face an even worse grid penalty at the Canadian Grand Prix. Rather of accepting the 10-place penalty for the third CE, the Scuderia might elect to fit Leclerc’s car with an entirely new PU for the weekend. This PU4 would then be added to his component pool, where it would be used throughout the season.
It makes sense to accept a grid penalty at a track like Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, where overtaking is easy, rather than in France or Hungary, where overtaking is difficult.
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