Qatar Grand Prix – Chassis change for Leclerc
Scuderia Ferrari has identified a crack in the chassis of its car No.16 after the qualifying session. However, the Monegasque driver is expected to retain his position on the grid.
Out in Q2 this Saturday in qualifying, Charles Leclerc was quite stunned by this result, especially by the gap separating him from the other drivers battling with him.
Speaking on Canal +, the Monegasque had no explanation for his sudden drop in performance.
« Very honestly, I have no explanation. Normally I know more or less where I usually lose. But this time, especially during the first run, I was one second off the times that our competitors and even my teammate were doing at that time with the same tires. So I absolutely have no explanation. » he declared.
The Ferrari driver was quite shocked by the gaps, especially compared to his teammate Carlos Sainz (under investigation by the commissioners along with Bottas and Verstappen for Q3).
Indeed, the Spanish driver qualified for Q3 on his first attempt on medium tires while Leclerc failed to make it to the 13th position on his second attempt on soft tires.
In the first sector, I think I was at five or six tenths, so we’ll have to look at what was happening. I didn’t feel like I had the tires in the right window throughout qualifying. But hey, it was quite shocking when I learned the times of the others on the radio. We weren’t in the right group so we need to understand why. The race pace was good, but this is a very bad surprise and it’s hard to digest so we’ll have to understand.
A passage on the kerbs in Q1 called into question
The Scuderia Ferrari therefore started looking for an explanation and eventually found it. It is a crack on the chassis of the car of the current 6th in the championship that caused this sudden drop in performance of their driver.
After checking Leclerc’s car, a crack was found in the chassis, probably as a result of hitting the kerbs during the first attempt in Q1, the team revealed.
Ferrari will therefore change Leclerc’s chassis and is confident to comply with the Parc Fermé rules and repair the car on time.
« It will be necessary to change it. If everything is done within the time limit and in accordance with the Sporting Regulations, Charles will start from his position on the grid. »
Charles Leclerc should therefore start from his 13th position this Sunday at 3:00 p.m. Like his counterparts Sergio Pérez and Daniel Ricciardo, other notable victims of this Q2, he will be on a mission to climb back into the points zone , which will not be easy given the layout of the track. Wait and See!
