Charles Leclerc’s retirement from the Spanish Grand Prix was caused by an MGU-H and turbo failure according to Ferrari.
Leclerc was comfortably dominating the Spanish Grand Prix race on Sunday, having created an eleven-second lead over his rivals in the first half of the race and taken advantage of title rival Max Verstappen’s mistake on lap 9.
However, on lap 27, Leclerc’s car abruptly lost power, and while he was able to drive his car back to the Ferrari garage, it was evident he had experienced a power unit failure and his race was over.
Ferrari also acknowledged that after thoroughly investigating the failure and its cause, the team is confident that it was not caused by a design flaw or a reliability issue.
“Having examined the PU from Leclerc’s car, we found the turbo and MGU-H are damaged and cannot be repaired,” said the Italian outfit in a statement released on Monday evening.
“However, having fully analysed the failure and its cause, we are satisfied it did not occur through a design fault or reliability issue with these two components or any other elements of the PU.”
However, Leclerc will have to worry about potential penalties that could affect the title fight in 2022. During a season, drivers are only allowed to employ three turbos and MGU-Hs. A grid drop will occur if a fourth component is used.
Leclerc has already started using his second set of engine components and it’s unclear whether his first used engine parts are now in his ‘pool,’ ready to be used again.
Just days before the Monegasque’s home race in Monaco, Ferrari’s findings – and the fact that the breakdown was not caused by a specific design flaw – will provide a sigh of relief to its drivers, particularly Leclerc.
The Monesgague who is now six points behind Verstappen in the Drivers’ standings, is hoping to avenge the misfortune that forced him out of his home race in 2021 even before it began.
Leclerc is looking forward to fighting on the streets of Monte-Carlo next weekend, given how dominant he was all weekend in Barcelona until his painful DNF.
“I think what is the most important is the overall performance and, performance-wise, we are performing very well,” he said on Sunday.
“So I can’t wait to go home next week and hopefully we’ll have a great result.”
