Missing a few hours at the beginning of GP of Bahrain and, even if it is only the first race of the season, replacements arrive components on some cars.
Leclerc changes battery: no penalty
One car in particular decided to replace some parts before the traffic lights went out, but none of these resulted penalty. The pilot in question is Charles Leclerc which, on his SF-23, decided to mount a new one battery. As stated in the official statement of the FIA, this piece belonging to the Power Unit of the Red Army could be mounted without receiving any penalty on the grill. In fact, during the season, they can be mounted 2 completely regular. Furthermore, the written request from the Maranello team was instantly viewed by the Federation and was possible approval of this question.
Ferrari, choice not yet justified
The choice, which took place in the last few hours, was not justified by the Team. According to some sources on social media, the battery could be the reason that forced Leclerc himself not to be able to make his own last chance in Q3. The Monegasque had explained his choice of team yesterday as follows:
"We were fighting for pole which was a nice surprise honestly. I didn't expect it after the tests and free practice which had been more complicatede. Instead we had the pace for the qualifying lap which is great though we must remember that in terms of race pace we seem further behind than Red Bull. Starting third, with a new tyre, we think we are in better shape compared to what we would have had with a Pole but with used tyres. I don't know how much this choice will pay but the direction is the right one.”
As mentioned before, however, there is still no official press release from Ferrari that would explain the reason for this choice. All that remains is to wait, but the news is still confirmed.
ARTICLE BY FRANCESCO ORLANDO
