The United States Grand Prix weekend has not started well for Ferrari. During the first free practice session in Austin, Charles Leclerc was unable to carry out his qualifying runs due to gearbox issues that forced him to stop early.
Gearbox problems for Charles Leclerc: a tough start for Ferrari in Austin
The FP1 session ended prematurely for Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari after he suddenly encountered gearbox problems. As he was preparing to start a flying lap on qualifying tyres, the Monegasque driver was unable to engage seventh gear. He immediately reported the issue to the pit wall and was instructed to return to the garage, effectively ending his session and leaving him at the bottom of the timesheets.
Charles Leclerc also noticed a strong smell of oil, a clear sign that the gearbox was in poor condition. Ferrari engineers and mechanics immediately began working on the rear of the car to replace the damaged components. Fortunately, Charles Leclerc will not receive any penalty, since the current regulations allow greater flexibility in gearbox usage for this season.
It’s certainly a challenging start to the weekend for Ferrari, which will need to address this mechanical setback as quickly as possible. With Sprint Qualifying approaching, the team must accelerate its repair work to avoid further complications—such as a potential start from the back of the grid in Saturday’s Sprint race.
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