Following his DNF in Baku, Ferrari acknowledged on Friday that Charles Leclerc’s engine “is beyond repair.”
According to the team’s statement, “one potential explanation of the failure is that it occurred as a result of the PU [power unit] malfunction in Spain.” “The situation is under control, and we are currently working on countermeasures to enhance the package.”
Leclerc’s second DNF in three races occurred in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix last weekend; the first was in Barcelona. Both times, he was in the driver’s seat.
The native of Monaco will have to face the grid penalty that comes with a new power unit. Leclerc stated that the club was still debating whether or not he would accept the penalty in Canada.
He told Autosport, “We’re not in the best circumstances possible.” “Then, I believe there are currently ongoing conversations over the power unit change. The choice is being pushed as hard as we can.”
Six different parts make up Formula One engines, and drivers are only allowed to employ a certain amount of those parts before incurring penalties. For the Miami Grand Prix in early May, Leclerc already had to move to his second power unit of the year, according to The Race.
A driver receives a 10-place grid penalty the first time they exceed the allotted space.
According to Autosport, the Ferrari driver added, “It’s up to us to choose the ideal circuit where you want to get a penalty, if you get a penalty.” “This is one of the places where overtaking is rather simple, but there are other tracks in the following three or four races where overtaking is also straightforward. We’ll talk about it then attempt to make the greatest choice possible.”
The hydraulics in Carlos Sainz’s car have been looked at, and Ferrari said earlier this week that a “short-term remedy” will be used for the Canadian Grand Prix this Sunday “while work is ongoing on mid/long-term solutions.”
Leclerc’s most recent DNF saw him slide to third place in the driver standings with 116 points. Max Verstappen is in first place with 150, followed by Sergio Perez at 129. With only 17 points separating him from Leclerc in fourth place, George Russell is reducing the distance.
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Charles Leclerc may face grid penalties after Ferrari said the Formula One engine that blew up and ousted him from the Azerbaijan Grand Prix is “beyond repair.”
Leclerc, who had won his sixth pole position of the year, sped to the pits while under a virtual safety car, carrying a 13-second advantage after teammate Carlos Sainz retired due to a hydraulics problem.
However, his prospects of winning were destroyed when his engine failed, giving the victory to the defending champion Max Verstappen and costing Ferrari a chance to win the third race in a row.
An internal combustion engine that had been part of the setup that failed when Leclerc was in the lead in Spain was rebuilt and utilized as part of the power unit in Baku.
Leclerc had to race in Azerbaijan with a mix of old and new parts at a track with the highest throttle demands on the schedule after his retirement, which destroyed the turbo and MGU-H.
Ferrari has hinted that the Baku failure may have been due to these leftover parts.
After the Baku system was determined to be “beyond repair,” the Monegasque, who hasn’t won since Australia, will now have a whole new powertrain setup for this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix.
“The failure might have happened as a result of the PU issue in Spain, for example.
“The situation is under control, and we are currently working on countermeasures to enhance the package.”
As he attempts to close a 34-point deficit to championship leader Verstappen, Leclerc faces at least a 10-place grid penalty due to the write-off of the Baku powertrain.
Ferrari introduced a new powertrain specification for the Miami GP in an effort to increase dependability despite being 80 points behind Red Bull.
Leclerc now has the maximum of three turbos for the season thanks to the second power unit and the new turbocharger for Baku.
As soon as Charles Leclerc switches to his third power unit of 2022, he will be subject to grid penalties.
Leclerc remarked, “Obviously we are not in the best circumstances possible,” when speaking in Montreal.
When asked to clarify the circumstance around Canada receiving a grid-place hit, he continued: “Then, I believe there are still continuing conversations regarding the power unit modification.
Leclerc believed Montreal could be a suitable location to take the hit because of the passing opportunities, despite the long back straight potentially favoring Red Bull’s top-speed credentials due to its powerful rebadged Honda engine and low-drag set-up utilized in Baku.
He stated: “If you receive a penalty, it is up to us to decide which track is the optimum one for you to receive it.
“This is one of the places where overtaking is rather simple, but there are other tracks in the following three or four races where overtaking is also straightforward.
At the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Ferrari F1 had yet another nightmare as both of its drivers were forced to leave the race due to circumstances beyond their control.
At the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Ferrari F1 had yet another nightmare as both of its drivers were forced to leave the race due to circumstances beyond their control. Thus, Red Bull Racing had a wonderful day as their main competition for the 2022 F1 title finished with no points while they secured a convincing 1-2 victory.
Max Verstappen won the race despite starting third on the grid, with teammate Sergio Perez taking second. Here is a look at what happened to Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz in the Azerbaijan GP 2022 after a very challenging race.
What went wrong with Leclerc’s engine in Baku?
Ferrari’s studies have led them to the conclusion that Leclerc’s power unit blow-out in Azerbaijan may have been a result of the earlier issue he encountered in Spain.
It is believed that the problem in Baku may have been brought on by damage that was not noticed as a result of the Monegasque’s retirement in Barcelona.
The team has announced that the matter is “in control” and is currently working on countermeasures to improve the power unit for upcoming races.
At the Azerbaijan GP, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz experience a horrific double retirement.
At the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Ferrari experienced a horrible double retirement, providing Max Verstappen and Red Bull with yet another tremendous opportunity.
Charles Leclerc of Ferrari won the pole position on Saturday, and Carlos Sainz started fourth. However, after just 20 circuits of the race on Sunday, both of Ferrari’s cars were eliminated.
On lap 9, Sainz retired from fourth place due to a hydraulic issue, which the team later verified.
Red Bull’s Sergio Perez beat Leclerc to the first turn, but owing to a perfectly timed stop under the virtual safety car, Leclerc was using a different strategy than Perez and Verstappen.
On lap 20, smoke began to flow out of the back of Leclerc’s Ferrari, ending any hope of a stunning comeback.
Ferrari has verified that Leclerc promptly returned to the garage and retired the car due to a power unit issue.
Leclerc said to Sky Sports shortly after his race ended, “It aches.” “To prevent it from happening again, we must investigate. I can’t seem to put it into words. It’s quite depressing. We must investigate it.”
When asked if that was a major setback for the title, he continued: “More than important, actually. I came right from the car to this place, so I don’t really have the words.
“I just hope we can bounce back from it and be on top of those things. It’s just a massive letdown.”
Said Sainz: “After nine circuits of managing the tyres and attempting to get a proper introduction to them, we were eager to start pushing when the hydraulics failed. It was even more upsetting to see Charles not finish and experience another problem. It was undoubtedly a difficult day for all of us.
We will experience several moments as a team throughout the year, but this is one of the most challenging and upsetting. We will work to ensure that we get through it.
Guanyu Zhou of Alfa Romeo and Kevin Magnussen of Haas both had to retire from the race due to mechanical issues with Ferrari’s two customer cars.
Only seven days remain for the team to resolve their concerns before the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal.
Verstappen already had a nine-point lead over Leclerc in the standings. Verstappen could increase his lead to 35 points by the finish line because he was in the lead and had the fastest lap when Leclerc’s race came to an end.
Perez will overtake Leclerc in the championship standings if he comes in second.
Recent races have ruined Leclerc’s once-promising season. At his home race, the Monaco Grand Prix, a Ferrari strategy prevented him from winning, instead resulting in a fourth-place finish.
Leclerc has earned six pole positions from eight races this year, but just two of them have resulted in victories; his most recent triumph came on April 10 at the Australian Grand Prix.
Red Bull faced reliability concerns at the beginning of the season. Verstappen was 47 points behind Leclerc following the Melbourne race due to his car’s failure to finish two of the first three races.
What took place in Baku F1?
Following the retirements of Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, Max Verstappen led a Red Bull one-two, giving Mercedes driver George Russell the third place finish in Baku.
Charles Leclerc, who started on pole, lost the lead early on but won it back when Max Verstappen, who was driving the fastest Red Bull, pitted on lap 19. Leclercas race ended in a ball of smoke one lap later, as he stumbled back to the pits to call it quits. This would be Ferrari’s second race-ending retirement after Carlos Sainz retired on lap 9 due to a hydraulic issue.
Verstappen and Sergio Perez of Red Bull finished first and second, with Mercedes driver Kurt Russell moving up to the final podium spot after starting fifth due to Leclercas DNF.
Lewis Hamilton, a teammate and the Driver of the Day, began seventh and finished fourth after making pit stops on laps 10 and 34 of the VSC. He then passed Pierre Gasly ten circuits later thanks to the advantage of having newer tires. After starting sixth, the AlphaTauri driver finished fifth.
Sebastian Vettel finished the race on hard tyres after making a pit stop during the first VSC and taking P6 for Aston Martin.
Fernando Alonso, who drives for Alpine, started the race in 10th place but eventually moved up to eighth after starting on medium tires, driving long in his first stint, then pitting after 18 laps to finish the race on hard tires and edge out both McLarens.
Daniel Ricciardo placed seventh after starting from 12th and leapfrogging Lando Norris (P9). Esteban Ocon, who began from position 13 on hard tyres and earned Alpine’s final point, completed the top 10.
Valtteri Bottas, the Alfa Romeo driver who started the race on hard tires and pitted during the second VSC of the race like Ricciardo, missed out on points in P11.
After starting 17th for Williams, Alex Albon advanced to P12. Yuki Tsunoda, who drove for AlphaTauri, finished behind him after falling from sixth to thirteenth late in the race due to a DRS issue.
Nicholas Latifi dropped to 15th and last after a 15-second penalty cost him the position of 14th to Mick Schumacher.
The third retiree of the race was Zhou Guanyu of Alfa Romeo, who pulled into the pits on lap 24 in the #24 car. He was joined by Lance Stroll, an Aston Martin driver who was stopped three laps from the finish line by a suspected engine problem, and Kevin Magnussen, whose stoppage caused the second VSC of the race.