Charles Leclerc retires even before the start of the Grand Prix: « I didn’t feel anything »

Charles Leclerc’s hopes of victory were short-lived. The Monegasque knew that beating the ogre Max Verstappen was going to be an almost impossible mission, but an opportunity is still an opportunity. The Ferrari driver ultimately couldn’t match the performance of the Dutchman in the first lap. His car ended up crashing into the barriers between turn 6 and 7. This off-track excursion did not fail to surprise. Was it due to a piloting error or a collision with another driver?

Leclerc’s premature retirement was caused by a hydraulic issue with his car. His steering wheel lost power assistance and became uncontrollable. The red flag caused by the accident between Magnussen and Albon led him to believe that he would be able to take advantage of the race neutralization to get back on track. However, he was not allowed to join his competitors on the track, so he had to abandon his car among the trees before returning to his garage.

« I didn’t feel anything. The steering wheel became very stiff. Everything happened within 5 tenths of a second. Then, both of my rear wheels locked on their own. I ran to the car to see if I could start again, but luck didn’t smile on us.

This is not the first time this season that Charles Leclerc has lost a potential podium finish due to reasons beyond his control. From the start of the season, his engine gave up under the starry night of Bahrain while he was comfortably placed in third position. In Austin, he was among the few cars whose floor was inspected. His was found to be below the minimum threshold and he was disqualified after mounting and celebrating on the podium.

Charles Leclerc perd la direction assistée dans le tour de formation et est contraint à l’abandon avant même le début de la course 🤯#BrazilGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/I19LH1EvvQ

— CANAL+ F1® (@CanalplusF1) November 5, 2023