Charles Leclerc loses turbo and MGU-H after F1-75 power unit issue in Spain

Scuderia Ferrari Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc will not be able to use the turbocharger and an MGU-H unit which were irreparably damaged after the power unit issue that led to his DNF in the 2022 Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Catalunya.

Charles Leclerc seemed comfortably in the lead in Barcelona on Sunday until his F1-75 car suddenly slowed due to an apparent engine issue on lap 27 of the Spanish Grand Prix. This meant Charles Leclerc suffered his first DNF in the 2022 Formula One season and gave Max Verstappen the unexpected opportunity to score the race win and therefore take lead of the world championship, ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix next weekend.

A Ferrari spokesperson officially confirmed that Charles Leclerc’s turbocharger and MGU-H used during the Spanish Grand Prix have both been damaged “beyond repair”, which means the Monegasque driver has lost use of those power unit components for the remainder of the 2022 Formula One championship. Charles Leclerc had used just two turbochargers and two MGU-H units in his F1-75 during the first six events of the current campaign. Each car is allowed to the use of only three turbochargers and three MGU-H units in 2022, leaving the Ferrari driver with only two of each component left of his original allocation for the championship.

Drivers will be penalised with a ten place grid penalty for using a fourth turbocharger or MGU-H during the 22 rounds of this year’s championship. The failure in yesterday’s Spanish Grand Prix means Leclerc with the difficult prospect of using only two turbochargers and MGU-H units for the 16 remaining rounds of he 2022 F1 season.

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Alpine’s Fernando Alonso was the first driver to be hit by a grid penalty for exceeding his power unit allowance this championship during last weekend’s race. After suffering multiple power unit-related failures over the first five rounds of the season, Alpine decided to take a penalty by installing a fourth new Renault power unit on his car following the Spanish driver qualifying in 17th, as the resultant penalty cost him only three additional places on the starting grid at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona.