F1 | Ferrari investigates a hidden engine problem that affected Charles Leclerc at the Baku GP
Charles Leclerc faced a challenging weekend at the Baku Grand Prix, as an unexpected engine problem hindered his race performance. Starting from tenth on the grid following a qualifying incident, Leclerc ultimately finished ninth, behind teammate Lewis Hamilton and, surprisingly, also behind Lando Norris in seventh, Yuki Tsunoda in sixth, and Liam Lawson in fifth. Despite showing promising pace on Friday, Ferrari was unable to convert that speed into tangible results, as explained by team principal Fred Vasseur.
Vasseur confirmed that Ferrari will launch a thorough investigation into the engine issue experienced by Charles Leclerc during the race. “We cannot be satisfied with eighth and ninth places. Charles had a problem with his engine, which we will now investigate. Even if it was minor, it was enough to prevent him from overtaking on the straights, leaving him stuck behind Lawson,” Fred Vasseur stated.
The French team principal added that the real disappointment remains qualifying. “We had the pace to achieve much more, but we failed to capitalize. There are two parts to our work: pure performance and execution. We improved our race pace after Spa, but finishing P10 and P12 yesterday was far below our expectations. Charles takes responsibility for qualifying, but we need to work on execution to come back stronger,” he said.
Ultimately, Ferrari must determine how to transform the speed shown on track on Friday into concrete race results, while Charles Leclerc and the team aim to prevent minor technical issues from compromising their weekend. The team clarified that the engine problem was not constant, but it was sufficient to cost Charles Leclerc around two-tenths per lap—critical at a circuit like Baku, where every fraction of a second counts.
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