Scuderia Ferrari Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc, who secured a strong second-place finish at the Qatar Grand Prix in Lusail, has revealed that he had to endure the 57-lap race without access to his drink system due to a technical fault.
The Maranello team entered the weekend with concerns about their performance at the Lusail International Circuit, a track expected to highlight the Maranello team’s weaknesses. While the Scuderia missed out on critical points in the 19-lap sprint race, Charles Leclerc capitalized on an opportunity in the main event. A late penalty—a ten-second stop-and-go—handed to Lando Norris allowed Charles Leclerc to elevate himself into an impressive second position.
Following the race, it was confirmed that a malfunction in the drink bottle system left Charles Leclerc unable to hydrate throughout the grueling event. When asked about the situation, Charles Leclerc admitted to racing without any fluids but noted that the cooler conditions made the experience manageable, sparing him from significant discomfort.
“Yeah, I did not drink, but I honestly, I don’t think it was that much of an issue for this race. Last year it would have been a really, really big issue. I think I wouldn’t have finished the race without my drink, but this year it was actually pretty, pretty chill.” – he explained.
“So yeah, in terms of dehydration, it wasn’t bad, but it was quite physical in the corners just because we had no saving to do today. There was basically no saving. It was just flat out pushing from the first lap to the last lap, which is quite enjoyable as a driver. I don’t think any of us drivers had our heads straight in the fast corners at the end of the race. It was very physical,” – the Ferrari man pointed out at the end of the 2024 Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix, the penultimate round of the season.
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