Leclerc short circuit problem "never seen before"

Ferrari have revealed the issue that cruelly denied Charles Leclerc a maiden Formula 1 win in Bahrain last weekend, identifying the issue as a short circuit within an injection system control unit.

Leclerc ended up finishing third, but it could’ve been worse as he was saved from being overtaken by Max Verstappen after the field finished behind a safety car. Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas both passed the Monegasque as Mercedes secured another one-two.

Leclerc had dominated all weekend, qualifying on pole and looked set to take the win until he had a significant drop in power. Ferrari have since inspected the engine and revealed the cause of the issue had never been seen before.

In a statement, the Scuderia said: “This type of problem had never been seen before on the component in question,” after it was revealed to be caused by a short circuit.

Despite the incredibly unfortunate events following the race, Leclerc remained optimistic.

“Obviously it's a big disappointment, not only for me but for the whole team, to not finish where we deserved to be, but we should be happy and proud of what we achieved,” said Leclerc.