Charles Leclerc hit with huge penalty for Saudi Arabia GP as Ferrari woes continue

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc will start the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix with a 10-place grid penalty to deliver another hammer blow to his chances of catching Max Verstappen. The Monaco star had a nightmarish start to the 2023 campaign after pulling out of the curtain raiser in Bahrain 10 days ago and now faces being left behind by Red Bull and Mercedes in the Championship.

Leclerc was forced to drop out of third place during the race when a problem arose with his car's electronic control unit (ECU), costing him and the team 15 points . He had already used one of the parts on Saturday after a similar failure occurred during qualifying.

Carlos Sainz came in fourth to salvage some Ferrari pride, but their dismay was only exacerbated by Red Bull's dominating double in Bahrain, meaning Ferrari are already 31 points behind in the championship builders.

And now Leclerc faces an uphill task of scoring points at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah on Sunday, as he starts with a loss of 10 grid places.

READ MOREFerrari crisis deepens with boss Fred Vasseur 'fed up' after race [GOSSIP]

Team principal Frederic Vasseur said on Wednesday that Leclerc's car had two issues with the ECU on race day, meaning he will have to have a third one fitted for the race Sunday. Drivers are limited to two ECUs for an entire season, meaning Leclerc will be heavily penalized and could also face more grid drops later in the season.

Ferrari were confident the issue would not affect them in Saudi Arabia as the part was initially believed to be intact, and now Leclerc will be forced to battle through the peloton for a chance of a podium finish. Vasseur said he was optimistic the Italian manufacturer had found the answer to the problem after a disastrous opening race.

"It's something we've never experienced in the past and hopefully now it's under control," Vasseur said. "But unfortunately we will have to take the penalty in Jeddah because we only have a two-ecus pool for the season."

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