Scuderia Ferrari Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc’s race at the Zandvoort circuit located in the dunes north of Zandvoort, the Netherlands, near the North Sea coast line was an uphill battle from the start: he was already starting from the ninth spot due to a car that wasn’t balanced correctly in qualifying, and then the weather conditions worsened the situation.
The Ferrari driver, in fact, wanted to come in to change tires despite the team’s opposition, so the mechanics weren’t ready with the tires and the pit stop lasted 13 seconds. Furthermore, in the first lap, while battling with Oscar Piastri, the Monegasque driver lost an endplate and sustained damage to the underbody, which ultimately led to his retirement.
Speaking with a tone of disappointment to the microphones of Sky Sport F1, Charles Leclerc said, “The call for the first lap was right, and I wanted it. We lost time because we weren’t ready, but in the end, we gained more than what we lost. Then I had contact with Oscar, and that had a huge impact: we lost 60 points of downforce and there was nothing to do. I didn’t see well where we hit, so I’m not sure if I can say the car is fragile. Certainly, it was an important part of the car, and there was nothing to be done.” – the Monegasque driver pointed out.
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