MADRID, 5 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) has installed a new battery and a control unit, the second of the two that are allowed during the Formula 1 season, before the start of the Bahrain Grand Prix this Sunday.
The Ferrari driver, who starts third on the grid behind the Red Bulls of the Dutchman Max Verstappen and the Mexican Sergio ‘Checo’ Pérez, will not have any penalties this Sunday, although this leaves Ferrari in a difficult position for the rest of the World Cup, as only two such changes are allowed over the course of the campaign.
During the start of the qualifying session in Sakhir, Leclerc’s car waved the red flag already in Q1 after losing some parts and getting stuck under braking at turn 1.
Leclerc seemed to be Verstappen’s strongest rival last season, winning two of the first three races, but reliability problems with his car and strategy errors by the ‘Scuderia’ ended his chances; The Monegasque finished second, 146 points behind the Dutchman.