Charles Leclerc's F1 title hopes could take a major dent following his enforced retirement from the Spanish Grand Prix.
The Ferrari driver was comfortably in the lead in Barcelona with title rival Max Verstappen struggling behind him in the early stages. However, then disaster struck, with the Monegasque man's power unit failing on him.
It meant an early retirement, and to rub salt into the wounds, Verstappen recovered to overtake teammate Sergio Perez late on to notch a third straight Grand Prix win. It leaves the Dutchman seven points clear of Leclerc in the standings heading into Monaco this weekend.
To compound matters for the Scuderia, after the race in Barcelona they confirmed there was irreparable damage and an engine change would be needed. A released statement said: "Having examined the PU from Leclerc’s car, we found the turbo and MGU-H are damaged and cannot be repaired."
It leaves Leclerc in a precarious position for the remainder of 2022. Any further alterations after this week would trigger a grid penalty of anywhere between five and 10 places.
Last season, before the new F1 regulations came into play, both Lewis Hamilton and Verstappen had to endure grid penalties for exceeding engine change limits. But whilst Red Bull have had reliability issues in the early stages of this campaign, as of yet there has been no hint of any potential power unit change.
The constructors' race has also been turned on its head, with Christian Horner's team now 26 points clear of the Italian giants. And after their stellar start to the new era, Mattia Binotto and co now find themselves desperate to half the momentum of their rivals.
But they may also have to look over their shoulders, with Mercedes finally showing signs of real pace in Spain. Lewis Hamilton finished fifth, despite suffering a puncture on the opening lap.
George Russell, meanwhile, was third, having held off the challenge of Verstappen for a prolonged period in the first half of the race. The Silver Arrows are due to bring upgrades to Monaco, in a bid to belatedly challenge the front-runners in 2022.
Leclerc is aiming to win a first drivers' title for Ferrari since Kim Raikkonen prevailed in 2007. The Finn edged out then McLaren rookie Hamilton in the final race of the campaign.
In 2017 and 2018, Sebastian Vettel did secure a second-placed finish whilst driving in red. On both occasions, it was Hamilton who ended up taking the title.
Verstappen, meanwhile, will be aiming for a career first in Monaco. The reigning world champion has never won four consecutive Grand Prix races in his career.
