Scuderia Ferrari Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc ended his Sao Paulo Grand Prix on a sour note, stranded in an escape road after experiencing a problem that triggered an engine protection mode and caused the loss of the hydraulic system. This resulted in a rear wheel lockup and a spin. According to the Italian side, the sequence of events was caused by an issue in the electronic components, and the SF-23 number 16 will be thoroughly analyzed once it returns to Maranello.
After a sprint race that was sacrificed to look with more confidence towards Sunday, it was clear that Ferrari’s focus was on the Grand Prix, where starting from the front row they earned in Friday’s qualifying, the Scuderia hoped to capitalize on a fresh set of soft tires saved from the day before.
However, the Brazilian Grand Prix seems like a missed opportunity for the Prancing Horse. The team faced a setback within seconds, as Charles Leclerc was halted in an escape road during the formation lap. Halloween was just a few days ago, but the image of Charles Leclerc’s SF-23 halted against the barriers at Turn 6 during the formation lap brought silence and a shiver down the spine. It felt like waking up from a nightmare that you wished to end as quickly as possible, as if pressing a reset button.
The Brazilian appointment couldn’t have started worse for the Scuderia. Within moments, their best chance of achieving a significant result vanished. Reviewing the moments leading up to the incident, the procedure appeared to be the same as in other races, with the typical deactivation of the speed limiter and finding the bite point, which is essential for a good start.
During the formation lap at the Interlagos circuit, Charles Leclerc was following the usual activities to keep the tires warm after removing the tire blankets, and there were no apparent anomalies in the telemetry data, at least until the incriminated corner. It was at this moment that Charles Leclerc was negotiating Turn 6, without making any particular changes to his line. In a section with a speed of over 250 km/h, there was no need for drastic steering adjustments. However, the engine of the SF-23 car number 16 suddenly turned off, and the car started to spin until it hit the barriers.
Observing the telemetry data, it’s clear that at that moment, Charles Leclerc was not on the accelerator but on the brake to take Turn 6. Notably, as soon as he downshifted into fifth gear, the internal combustion engine immediately went silent. The data shows that the engine revs dropped almost instantly to zero, indicating that the Power Unit had been shut down. The interesting part is that the rear wheel lockup that triggered the spin did not appear to happen simultaneously with the engine shutdown, but in the subsequent phases.
Show your support for Scuderia Ferrari with official merchandise collection! Click here to enter the F1 online Store and shop securely! And also get your F1 tickets for every race with VIP hospitality and unparalleled insider access. Click here for the best offers to support Charles and Carlos from the track!
The telemetry of Charles Leclerc in Brazil during the formation lap. Source: Gianluca D’Alessandro for Motorsport Italy
Initially, Charles Leclerc is seen attempting to continue the steering phase with the wheel becoming very heavy and stiff due to the loss of hydraulic support, which also affected the power steering. Only a few moments later, the rear wheel lockup occurred, leading to the spin, making the car uncontrollable. There wasn’t a single moment when all elements overlapped, but rather a sequence of events that ultimately led to the rear wheel lockup and the spin.
“I lost the steering because the power steering wasn’t working, so it seemed stiff and hard. I went straight, and the engine stopped for protection reasons, which locked up the rear, sending me into a spin,” said the Monegasque during the post-race interviews, explaining that the rear wheel lockup was caused by an engine protection mode activated by the electronic control unit. This scenario is not entirely unusual, as there have been previous instances where drivers have had to deal with something similar. However, the key here is to understand the root cause of the electronic issue that resulted in the car and its systems shutting down.
The telemetry of Charles Leclerc in Brazil during the formation lap. Source: Gianluca D’Alessandro for Motorsport Italy
After the initial understandable frustration inside the cockpit, Charles Leclerc attempted to restart the car using the hybrid power unit, demonstrating that at least the electrical part was still functioning at the moment of impact with the barriers. After successfully restarting the car with the help of the MGU-K, the hydraulic system also became active once again. Charles Leclerc managed to shift gears back to first gear and tried to return to the pits.
However, after about 30 meters, the same issue that occurred earlier resurfaced, leading to the engine shutting down and Charles Leclerc’s definitive retirement. It was an illusion that lasted only a few seconds, just long enough to shift up a gear. This indicates that it was not a problem that could be easily solved with a simple power cycle or a reset button.
As briefly explained by Team Principal Frederic Vasseur during the interviews, the problem was not strictly related to the hydraulic system. Typically, a hydraulic issue would not lead to a complete shutdown of the car. Rather, the issue seems to have initiated a chain reaction: “The system turned off the hydraulic system and the engine. It’s more related to an electronic command than anything else.” Now, we will have to wait for the car to return to Maranello, where a more in-depth analysis will be carried out to determine the root cause of the Monegasque driver’s retirement.
Leave a Reply