Ferrari change Vettel's chassis for Spanish GP

Formula One F1 - 70th Anniversary Grand Prix - Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone, Britain - August 9, 2020 Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel FIA/Handout via REUTERS

Formula One F1 - 70th Anniversary Grand Prix - Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone, Britain - August 9, 2020 Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel FIA/Handout via REUTERS

August 12 (Reuters) - Sebastian Vettel will have a new chassis for Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix after Ferrari said on Wednesday they had found damage to the one he used at Silverstone last weekend.

The four-times Formula One world champion, who is leaving Ferrari at the end of the year, is having a tough season and is languishing 13th overall with just 10 points from five races so far.

To put that into perspective, Monegasque team mate Charles Leclerc has scored 45 while Germany's Nico Hulkenberg -- a stand-in for Mexican Sergio Perez at Racing Point -- has six from one race.

"Sebastian will have a new chassis because after the Silverstone post-race analysis we spotted a small fault caused by a heavy impact over a kerb," said head of chassis engineering Simone Resta.

"It would not have had much of an effect on performance, but it was the logical decision to take."

Vettel spun after hitting a kerb at the first corner of the opening lap in last Sunday's 70th Anniversary Grand Prix. He finished 12th.

Ferrari, whose car is some way off the pace of champions Mercedes and Red Bull, will otherwise have no major updates for their SF1000 car.