Big blow for Charles Leclerc and Ferrari ahead of the 2023 Saudi Arabian GP

Charles Leclerc and Ferrari have been hit with a grid penalty ahead of the race weekend in Jeddah. After retiring from the season opener due to an issue with Control Electronics, the team decided to change the component.

Each car is permitted to use two control electronics components per season without incurring any penalties. Ferrari replaced the component in Charles Leclerc's car on Sunday morning in Bahrain. The second component failed in the race, forcing him to retire.

Charles Leclerc will face at least a 10-place grid penalty in Jeddah as the team has had to use a third component for the second race of the season. He could suffer a greater grid drop if the team decides to change any other parts ahead of the race.

A breach of the limit this early in the season also increases the chances of incurring penalties later in the year.

Frederic Vasseur, Ferrari's team principal, spoke to the media on Wednesday, where he made the announcement:

"On Sunday, 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."

Vasseur added that the issue was highly unusual and that the team at Maranello had done a deep analysis regarding the early failure. He added:

"It’s something that we never experienced in the past. 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."

After suffering from a double retirement in Baku last year, the team was forced to run the engine at lower power to increase reliability. Entering the 2023 season, engineers at Maranello were confident that the reliability issues concerning the power unit had been resolved. Despite the claims made over the winter, the team has failed to deliver on its promises.

Vasseur also stated that the team will not reduce engine power in the following races.

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Frederic Vasseur confirms Charles Leclerc is motivated to work with the team

Heading into the Saudi Arabian GP, Charles Leclerc has zero points in the drivers' standings. The 25-year-old was on course for a podium finish when the issue halted his SF-23. He was dejected with the team's continuing reliability woes and overall lack of pace.

However, Frederic Vasseur has revealed that Leclerc is motivated to lead the team forward. The Frenchman said:

"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 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."

With the 10-place grid penalty, Charles Leclerc will have his work cut out in Jeddah, where he finished second in the 2022 season.