Charles Leclerc accepts his Monaco Grand Prix was always compromised from starting so far down the grid following Scuderia Ferrari’s qualifying mistake as he was forced to retire with damage.
After Charles Leclerc dropped out in Q1 of qualifying when Ferrari misjudged the required cut-off lap time, the Monegasque driver started his home race a lowly 15th place and despite early progress up to 12th place he came unstuck when he clattered the wall at La Rascasse attempting to overtake Nico Hulkenberg in the Renault.
With a punctured right-rear tyre, which then badly damaged the bodywork of Leclerc’s car, he was subsequently pushed into retirement a few laps later due to an “undriveable” car.
While Charles Leclerc accepted his retirement, the first DNF of his Scuderia Ferrari career, the 21-year-old says his race was already compromised by his poor starting position which forced him into risky overtakes.
“It was very difficult. As I said before the race, I had to take a lot of risks, which we did,” Charles Leclerc said. “It was fun at the beginning but unfortunately it ended in disaster. But that’s the problem with Monaco when you are starting 15th, which is not our real pace position. It was difficult to come back from today.”
Charles Leclerc remains fifth in the F1 drivers’ standings but has slipped to 21 points behind Max Verstappen in fourth place for Red Bull.
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