Leclerc’s accident during the warm-up lap: Ferrari reveals more information

It’s disappointment for Charles Leclerc. The Monégasque driver had another very good weekend in qualifying. After securing two pole positions in the United States and Mexico, the 26-year-old athlete achieved the 2nd fastest time in Q3 in Brazil. Leclerc was therefore set to start once again on the front row.

However, a stroke of bad luck came to ruin his weekend. During the warm-up lap on Sunday, the Ferrari driver lost control of his car, ending up in the wall.

Loss of direction

While finishing his warm-up lap to take his position on the starting grid, Charles Leclerc encountered an electronic control problem, leading to a failure of the power unit and hydraulics. After hitting the wall, the tifosi driver attempted, in vain, to restart due to the same issue. Frederic Vasseur explained, “« The system cut off the hydraulics and the engine.”

After his crash, Leclerc was forced to retire. The driver explained that he completely lost control of his car in an instant. “I went into the corner, first I lost power steering, then the engine shut off for safety reasons,” said Leclerc. “Then the rear wheels locked up, causing me to spin. So, I had no control over the car at any point. It was a hydraulic issue, that’s what I felt.”

The first problem in this register

After hitting the edge of the track, Charles Leclerc could have continued. Only the front wing of his car was damaged. And he almost managed to return to the pit to continue, before his engine shut down for safety reasons. “I restarted, I had hydraulic power for 15 seconds,” said the Ferrari driver. “But the exact same thing happened again. I lost hydraulic power, then the engine shut down. And obviously, it was clear that I couldn’t move forward anymore, as I had traveled 20 meters.”

On the side of the Italian firm’s garage, this problem has created surprise. Since Frederic Vasseur took over as team leader, this problem had never been observed. This breakdown has caused a lot of frustration for Ferrari, who were aiming for the podium after a very promising start to the weekend. It’s very frustrating for Charles and the team from a strategic standpoint, lamented the director. It’s another weekend where we put all our efforts into long stints to save the tires, as we had new tires. We didn’t use new tires for the first stint. We went all in on the longest stint and ultimately didn’t start. It’s for sure frustrating. He was more than disappointed, but I’m certain he’ll bounce back, and we’ll be focused on Vegas.

Leclerc frustrated with the situation

Charles Leclerc is not having much luck this season. He has encountered several problems with his car, whether it be mechanical issues or as a result of collisions. During the race in Brazil, another stroke of bad luck befell him, fueling his frustration.

« I am annoyed because obviously, especially in the second part of the year, I finally regained confidence in the car, and then you start second, sacrifice an entire weekend for the Sunday race, go through six turns, and that’s it, », Leclerc declared after the race at Interlagos. « I am very frustrated at the moment, but now I have to move on. That’s the best thing I can do as a driver. But of course, it’s frustrating to lose so many opportunities throughout the season. I hope that after this race, we can still be in the running for second place in the constructors’ championship. I would rather have a lot of problems during a season where I am fighting for those positions, rather than in a season where I am fighting for the championship. That being said, I would prefer not to have these kinds of problems at all. »

In this season of 2023, Charles Leclerc holds the 7th position in the championship.