Several days after the Hungarian Grand Prix, discussions are still ongoing regarding the problem that affected Charles Leclerc during his final stint of the race. Various theories have emerged attempting to explain the issue, but a well-known former Formula 1 Team Principal believes the situation has been overly simplified. Ferrari has been clearly intent on keeping the true cause “secret,” but the latest expert opinions tend to converge toward the same conclusion.
The scenario that was initially reported during the race about a chassis failure has long been dismissed as highly unlikely, especially since it would have led to a very different set of consequences. George Russell, the Mercedes driver, suggested that the problem was related to excessive wear on the plank underneath the car. This would not be the first time Ferrari faced such a challenge, considering the disqualification they suffered in the Chinese Grand Prix due to plank wear.
Further technical analysis offers a fresh perspective indicating that Ferrari may have experienced rigidity issues within the chassis, which in turn caused increased wear of the floor of the car. This particular problem forced Charles Leclerc to adopt several damage control measures, including reducing his top speed on straights and carefully avoiding curbs to preserve the car’s condition.
The various theories explained
Gunther Steiner, the former Team Principal of Haas Formula 1 team, shared his thoughts on Charles Leclerc’s mysterious problem during his appearance on the popular The Red Flags Podcast. The Ferrari team from Maranello remained deliberately vague about the issue, leaving room for multiple interpretations and speculation about what exactly affected the car driven by Charles Leclerc, who races with the number 16.
Steiner expressed his confusion about what truly happened: “I really have no idea what it was. I was listening to the team radio and kept wondering what was going on. Then the performance kept getting worse. I’m sure if I asked Fred [Vasseur], he wouldn’t tell me.”
He also referenced George Russell’s comment suggesting the car was operating at the limits of legality: “There’s a possibility, but why did Charles say he could manage it by himself? Did he wear out the plank by going too fast when the car was heavy? You can predict plank wear pretty well. You can’t just play too much with tire pressures by increasing them by 20 psi. It’s a theory, but it’s too simplified to think Ferrari chose that strategy deliberately.”
Steiner continued, “They were intentionally going slow. You could see at the end of the straights they didn’t have power and were lifting off. You can come to the plank conclusion, but it’s too simple. Lifting off actually helps reduce floor wear because if you go slower, the car is not pushed down as much.”
Gunther Steiner finds it difficult to fully understand the cause of what happened, but he repeats that the different opinions circulating may not fully reflect the true dynamics of the problem experienced by Charles Leclerc. According to him, there could be more to the story that has not yet been disclosed or understood.
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