F1 | Charles Leclerc devastated in Baku: explaining the error and apologizing
Charles Leclerc appeared visibly upset in front of the cameras after his crash during qualifying at the Baku Grand Prix. The Monegasque driver explained what happened and offered his apologies after a dramatic session that will see him start the race from 10th position, meaning a challenging comeback effort is ahead.
Ferrari’s performance began to decline not so much during Q1, but more noticeably in the second qualifying session. The flashes of pace seen on Friday in the free practice sessions seemed distant. In Q2, Charles Leclerc struggled with the medium tires but still managed to advance to the final session, where the harsh blow ultimately arrived.
The mistake explained
Approaching Turn 16 downhill, Charles Leclerc locked up his front tires and was unable to avoid a collision with the barriers. That incident immediately ended his qualifying, leaving him in 10th place for tomorrow’s race. The disappointment on Charles’s face was unmistakable. “The rain did not affect our performance at all,” he told reporters. “It was purely my mistake, definitely, there is no excuse. The medium tire simply wasn’t working today, and we struggled incredibly.”
“After yesterday it seemed that Lewis Hamilton was performing well with that compound, but today the temperatures dropped and we didn’t manage to get the tires in the right operating window. Before the mistake, I was still 0.8 seconds behind the leaders. The soft tire was performing better, but it needed to be saved for the final lap.”
Looking to the race
Charles Leclerc was reminded that Daniel Ricciardo managed to win the 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix starting from 10th on the grid. Charles responded realistically: “Max Verstappen and the McLarens have more race pace than us, and starting from the front gives a huge advantage. It will be extremely difficult to replicate what Daniel did, but we will try our best.”
Tomorrow, Ferrari faces a tough challenge as both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton will need to push to the limit to recover positions in Baku’s demanding and unpredictable street circuit. The team’s strategy, tire management, and driver skill will be crucial to navigating the race and minimizing the impact of the disappointing qualifying session. Despite the setback, Charles remains determined to fight back and score valuable points for the Scuderia.
Leave a Reply