The Miami Grand Prix was wrapped up by the Ferrari team with a third and fourth-place finish, respectively achieved by Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, at the end of a three-day event that was decidedly fluctuating and far from devoid of difficulties (such as those experienced by the Monegasque driver during Friday’s FP1). A three-day stint overseas where the Maranello team put behind the clear performance struggles shown in Shanghai two weeks ago but, at the same time, found itself once again ousted from the role of the second force in the field (still behind Red Bull) by a McLaren in great shape, which effectively capitalized on the package of updates brought to the track and won the race, forcing the Italian team to limit the damage in the constructors’ standings.
A race that, as mentioned, the Scuderia ended with a third and fourth-place finish under the checkered flag, regretting a result that could have been better net of the misfortune that occurred simultaneously with the deployment of the Safety Car, which, with its misplaced positioning in the pack, handed the race lead to Lando Norris’ McLaren on a silver platter and compromised Ferrari’s undercut attempt, which would have otherwise placed Charles Leclerc just behind Max Verstappen’s Red Bull and ahead of both Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.
A minor stroke of bad luck that, despite everything, seems not to have compromised the Red’s race for success, which, from the start, showed a pace in line but never superior to that of the rivals, revealing, on the contrary, some slight difficulties.
Difficulties that, as mentioned, accompanied the race of both representatives of the Maranello-based team. Difficulties that, for Charles Leclerc, were even greater, at least according to what was revealed by the number 16 driver to his race engineer, Xavi Marcos, during a team radio conversation on the in-lap at the end of the race which was held on the track around the Hard Rock Stadium.
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Charles Leclerc, in fact, after congratulating Lando Norris on his first Formula 1 career win and receiving the necessary instructions for the car settings on the way back to the pit lane, reported the lack of water (although it is actually a drink composed of water and electrolytes) in the driver’s drink tank. A drink that the driver himself can access by pressing a button on the steering wheel, which, by activating a pump, delivers a predefined amount of beverage to his mouth, allowing the driver to stay hydrated throughout the entire race and partially compensate for the physical strain he undergoes.
“I don’t think there was any water… I haven’t had water from the formation lap onwards,” are the words of the Monegasque driver to his race engineer, which undoubtedly suggest that Charles ran all 57 laps of the race without the opportunity to drink and hydrate, suffering even more than his colleagues from the high temperatures and physical fatigue. A lack (probably resulting from human error, with a wrong connection of the system) that made Charles Leclerc’s American weekend even more challenging, in addition to the handicap of not having run at all during the first free practice session for the Miami Grand Prix.
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