Formula 1

Leclerc frustrated with Ferrari’s inadequate race pace in Jeddah Grand Prix

Published

2 months ago

20/03/2023

Leclerc frustrated with Ferrari inadequate race pace in Jeddah GP F1 2023

Charles Leclerc of Ferrari has voiced his disappointment with the team’s overall pace at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, despite climbing up from 12th position on the starting grid to finish seventh. In addition, he expressed his frustration with his race engineer’s failure to inform him of Lewis Hamilton’s pit stop during the race.

Despite qualifying in second place behind Sergio Perez, the Ferrari driver was forced to start the race from twelfth position on the grid due to a ten-place penalty for exceeding his maximum allocation of power unit components.

Leclerc managed to climb up the ranks from the 12th position on the starting grid using soft tyres and ultimately secured the seventh spot, finishing just seven seconds behind his teammate Sainz.

Leclerc commented on his performance, saying, “I had a good first stint, and a good start. I also managed the softs well, which was a positive.”

When Leclerc closed in on his teammate Carlos Sainz Jr., he began to experience difficulties in maintaining his pace.

Leclerc explained that once he switched to the harder tyres, he was able to get within a second of Sainz with the aid of DRS, but lost the advantage and struggled with the reduced downforce when he couldn’t maintain the gap, ultimately finishing behind his teammate.

During the race, Leclerc became frustrated when his race engineer, Xavier Marcos Padros, failed to inform him that Lewis Hamilton had pitted under the Safety Car, after he had pitted for hard tyres just before Stroll retired.

Leclerc frustrated with Ferrari's inadequate race pace in Jeddah Grand Prix

Leclerc expressed frustration with his race engineer, Xavier Marcos Padros, when he failed to inform him that Lewis Hamilton had pitted under the Safety Car after Lance Stroll retired. When Marcos Padros finally gave him the information, Leclerc responded with exasperation, saying, “Xavi, you need to tell me that before! Come on!”

Leclerc explained his frustration with his race engineer during the race when he failed to inform him that Lewis Hamilton had pitted under the Safety Car. Leclerc clarified that he thought they were clear and not fighting anyone, so he was trying to take a gap to push on his tires.

Leclerc believed he had some breathing space to push on his tires after pitting, but was caught off guard when his race engineer informed him that they were fighting against Hamilton, causing him to miss the ideal delta time.

Leclerc noted that Ferrari’s tyre degradation was better in Saudi Arabia than in the previous race weekend in Bahrain, but he expressed dissatisfaction with the team’s overall performance.

Leclerc noted that there was less tyre degradation in Saudi Arabia compared to Bahrain, resulting in better performance. However, he expressed dissatisfaction with Ferrari’s overall pace, stating that it was not up to par.

Leclerc commented that he didn’t believe there was much more performance to extract from the car during the race, stating that they had done their best given the circumstances.

Leclerc frustrated with Ferrari’s inadequate race pace in Jeddah GP F1 2023 Leclerc frustrated with Ferrari’s inadequate race pace in Jeddah GP F1 2023 Leclerc frustrated with Ferrari’s inadequate race pace in Jeddah GP F1 2023