When his car abruptly lost power on lap 27 when he was in the lead of the Spanish Grand Prix, Leclerc appeared to be headed for an easy victory.
Ferrari wanted to wait for a thorough investigation at its Maranello factory because it did not have any immediate explanations for what had gone wrong with the power unit on Sunday night.
After returning the damaged power unit overnight, it got to work on Monday tearing down the parts to figure out what went wrong.
Both the turbo and MGU-H were found to be irreparably damaged, thus Leclerc will need to use replacement parts for the upcoming race in Monaco.
According to a statement from Ferrari, after inspecting the PU from Leclerc’s car, it was discovered that the turbo and MGU-H were broken and could not be fixed.
Having thoroughly examined the breakdown and its root cause, we are confident that none of these two components, nor any other part of the PU, had a reliability or design flaw.
According to Ferrari’s statement, the issue was therefore unique and was either brought on by extrinsic factors or by how they were employed.
Leclerc’s power unit in Spain was his second of the season, so for Monaco, Ferrari must choose whether to use the same parts he used at the beginning of the season or acquire new ones.
Due to the fact that F1 drivers are only allowed to utilize three MGU-H and turbos per season, the early loss of those components raises the prospect of a grid drop later in the season if he uses a fourth set.
Ferrari claimed there had been no warning of any issues with Leclerc’s power unit during the race after the French driver retired in Spain.
Mattia Binotto, the team’s manager, stated: “It was an urgent matter. I believe Charles first explained it to us on the radio before the engineers looked at the data. So, it came quite quickly.
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Ferrari has determined that the breakdown of Charles Leclerc’s turbo and MGU-H was what caused him to retire from the Spanish Grand Prix of Formula 1.
When his car abruptly lost power on lap 27 when he was in the lead of the Spanish Grand Prix, Leclerc appeared to be on track to win the race with ease.
Ferrari’s comment implies that the issue was therefore unique and was either brought on by extrinsic factors or by how they were used.
Ferrari claims there was no prior indication of issues when Charles Leclerc’s power unit failed, forcing him to withdraw from the Spanish Grand Prix of Formula 1.
After title contender Max Verstappen lost time with a tumble across the gravel and slid down the order, Leclerc appeared to be headed for victory in Barcelona as he had a comfortable lead early in the race.
On lap 27, though, Leclerc unexpectedly slowed down when he had a lead of more than 11 seconds when his car lost power while accelerating halfway around the track.
The Monegasque exited the race and headed for the pits right away, giving Verstappen the chance to finish first and climb to the top of the F1 drivers’ rankings.
Leclerc’s power unit’s malfunction resulted in the stoppage, but Ferrari does not yet know what went wrong with it; hence, it will hold off on providing a comprehensive explanation until its Maranello headquarters’ investigations are finished.
But according to team president Mattia Binotto, the problem wasn’t something the group had been handling because it came as a surprise to them.
It was an urgent matter, he claimed. “I believe Charles originally shared it with us while on the radio, and then the engineers discovered it when analyzing the data. So, it came quite quickly.
“We do not yet have a reason. Therefore, the power unit will be returned to Maranello overnight, and we’ll disassemble it the following morning.
Leclerc believed that this time was extremely different and the team had everything under control after two races where Ferrari had been surprised by worse tyre wear than Red Bull.
When asked if he thought he would have won easily in the absence of the mistake, he responded, “With the laps I had completed, honestly, everything was going really, really good.
“I believe it would have been challenging for them to close the gap because, obviously, there was already a significant one, and we had excellent degradation on the soft tyre as well.
“Compared to them, we could complete a lot more laps. Overall, I believe we had the race under control, so definitely.
Leclerc’s car breakdown, according to Ferrari, came out of nowhere.
The Monegasque watched as Max Verstappen, a Red Bull title challenger, won the race and quickly overtook him to take the lead in the Formula One championship.
“Never! Never! On the 27th of the 66 scheduled laps at the Circuit de Catalunya, the Ferrari driver, who had begun the day 19 points ahead and finished it six behind, said over the radio, “Lost power!”
Ferrari, who also saw their lead in the constructors’ standings slip to Red Bull, was powerless to stop it.
“I believe Charles entering the radio told us about it first, and then the engineers looked at the data; it was unexpected.
“We have no explanation yet; it will move to Maranello throughout the course of the evening, and we will disassemble it the following morning.”
Given that Leclerc’s home race in Monte Carlo and a major event on the schedule are both the following weekend, the timing could not have been worse.
Last year, Leclerc had the pole position for that race but was unable to start because of a driveshaft issue; Verstappen went on to win.
Ferrari had high expectations for an upgrade package when they traveled to Spain in an attempt to reclaim a performance edge that Red Bull and Verstappen had widened.
Charles was comfortably in the lead and running at a very good racing pace in the F1-75, which was the fastest car on the track both yesterday and today, according to Binotto.
To win a race, one must finish first, according to an old adage in auto racing, and this year, reliability has been a problem for both Red Bull and Ferrari.
Leclerc’s retirement on Sunday was his first in six races, whereas Verstappen has already suffered two setbacks.
Leclerc stated, “I feel like there is nothing else I can do but look at the positives, and there are many this weekend.
We must identify the issue because we cannot afford for this to occur frequently over the season.
Leclerc engine damage revealed by Ferrari; punishment now likely
A grid penalty later on in the year is anticipated as a result of Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari engine failure during the Spanish Grand Prix, which irreparably damaged the turbocharger and MGU-H.
When he ran out of power early in his second stint of the Barcelona race, Leclerc was in the lead.
Max Verstappen won, costing him the championship lead. Ferrari also lost ground to Red Bull in the constructors’ standings as a result of his retirement.
Ferrari claims that neither of the two damaged components nor any other parts of the power unit had a design flaw or reliability problem that led to the breakdown.
That suggests a problem with the installation or operation, although Ferrari is keeping quiet about the precise root of the issue.
At the Miami Grand Prix, Leclerc switched to his second power unit of the year, indicating that he will at the very least need to convert to a third MGU-H and turbo.
Unless Ferrari decides a whole new set of components is worthwhile, it is likely that it may keep using the combustion engine, which seems to be unharmed.
With 16 races left and his first power unit having run four full grand prix weekends, it is all but certain Leclerc will need to employ a fourth MGU-H and turbo, at least later in the season. Ferrari has not yet revealed its strategy for Monaco.
Failure for Leclerc in Spain was unexpected and sudden – Ferrari
Charles Leclerc failed to finish the Spanish Grand Prix, and according to Ferrari, the issue struck quickly and fatally.
At the Circuit of Barcelona-Catalunya, Leclerc used his pole position to take the lead early in the race and built a substantial lead after Max Verstappen made a mistake.
Leclerc lost power during the race’s second stint, which caused him to slow down and eventually withdraw.
Verstappen eventually achieved victory, his fourth of the year, and for the first time took the championship lead.
Team manager Mattia Binotto remarked, “It was a sudden incident. “I believe Charles entering the radio told us about it first, and then the engineers looked at the data; it was unexpected.
How did Ferrari perform in the most recent race?
On the 18th lap of the French Grand Prix on Sunday, Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari left the track and collided with the safety barriers, forcing him to withdraw while holding the lead.
Max Verstappen, the leader of the championship, raced to the front, ahead of Lewis Hamilton in a Mercedes, and Leclerc, who was unharmed in the collision, started from pole position.
The Monegasque, who won the last Grand Prix in Austria and started this race 38 points behind Verstappen, was on pace to repeat after dominating qualifying on Saturday.
However, Leclerc lost control of his Ferrari on the 18th loop of the Paul Ricard track at Le Castellet, spinning off and coming to a stop in the safety barriers at a low pace.
Similar to the throttle issue that prevented him from winning in Austria two weeks prior, this one seemed to be the cause of his failure.
When his condition was inquired about after the incident over the team radio, he yelled, “I cannot get off throttle.”
He let out a loud “Noooooo!” to express his annoyance, but he was still able to get out of the automobile without getting hurt.