Charles Leclerc’s podium in Qatar was unexpected for Ferrari. After qualifying results with the Monegasque in P5 and Carlos Sainz in P7, the Italian team did not anticipate ending with a car in the top three.
The race at Losail, however, offered more than one surprise for everyone. Lando Norris‘s penalty disrupted McLaren’s plans, allowing Ferrari to gain points and close the gap to 21: now the two teams will battle for the title in Abu Dhabi.
Charles Leclerc finished the race in Qatar on the podium with a remarkable second place. His result comes with an interesting backstory. Just before the start of the Grand Prix, driver #16 complained to his race engineer about a malfunctioning drinking system.
“Do we have time to change the balaclava? The mouthpiece is broken, and I can’t drink,” said the Monegasque while still on the grid.
“We don’t have time,” replied his race engineer Bryan Bozzi.
“Okay. This is a sh***y system. We need to work on it. We’ll talk about it later,” concluded Charles Leclerc.
Ferrari’s #16 has experienced similar issues before. In Miami, the Monegasque also complained about the same problem and had to drive in even hotter conditions. Fortunately, this year’s Qatar GP was moved on the calendar to avoid the unpleasant health incidents of last season.
“I’m really happy! I would have signed immediately if someone had told me I’d finish second in a weekend like this, on a track like this,” said Charles Leclerc in his post-race interviews.
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