Charles Leclerc was given a 10-place penalty on the grid because Ferrari changed its engine before the Canadian Grand Prix.
An engine failure knocked Leclerc out of last week’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix while he was leading and Ferrari has since considered the engine “beyond repair”. The FIA announced after Friday’s second training session that Leclerc had taken his third cool power plant of the year and would be penalized at the start of Sunday’s race.
Yuki Tsonoda also received a 10-place penalty on the grid on Friday when AlphaTauri gave the Japanese driver his fourth engine of the season.
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Speaking ahead of Friday’s practice, Leclerc admitted that his series of failures this season has left him “not in the best position to be” as he fights Red Bull team-mates Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez for the championship.
Verstappen, a five-race winner this season and current points leader, was the fastest in Friday’s two practice sessions in Montreal. Leclerc finished the day in second place, just 0.081 seconds behind Verstappen.
“The overall pace is positive,” Leclerc said.
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc was punished with a 10-place penalty for this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix. (Getty)
Leclerc has had a number of setbacks since winning two of the first three races this season to take the lead in the F1 standings. He had early retirement in Spain and Baku and has failed to convert four consecutive outings from pole to Sunday’s race at the Gilles Villeneuve Circuit.
Leclerc has dropped to third place in the standings, behind the two Red Bull drivers.
“We obviously can’t hide, it’s hard to take on, three races in a row with problems or mistakes,” Leclerc said.
“But as a team, I think we are working very hard to try to overcome these things as quickly as possible.
“I think it’s clear to everyone that the motivation is still very high. We continue to work very hard as a team and we just want to win again as soon as possible.”
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