10-place grid penalty for Leclerc hits Ferrari title hopes

Ferrari’s chances of winning the Formula 1 constructors’ championship have taken a hit as Charles Leclerc will take a grid penalty at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Leclerc failed to run in the first part of FP1 due to a power unit issue, and Ferrari …

Ferrari’s chances of winning the Formula 1 constructors’ championship have taken a hit as Charles Leclerc will take a grid penalty at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Leclerc failed to run in the first part of FP1 due to a power unit issue, and Ferrari later confirmed it had needed to change his energy store to get him out on track. With that move Leclerc exceeded his maximum number of permitted components and as it’s the first time he has taken an item outside of his allocation, it carries a 10-place grid penalty.

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Ferrari already faced a tall order to try and overhaul McLaren at the final race of the season, with the Scuderia trailing by 21 points with a maximum of 44 points available. Leclerc’s second place in the Qatar Grand Prix last weekend had closed the gap to less than a race victory.

Leclerc did finish the first practice session fastest overall at Yas Marina Circuit, having taken part in FP1 alongside his brother Arthur, who posted the 18th-fastest time.

Two other grid penalties have also been triggered by Williams, with both cars exceeding the maximum permitted number of gearbox components, leading to a five-place drop for each of Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto.