Ferrari: Parc Fermé prevents checks on Charles Leclerc’s SF-23 | 2023 Spanish GP. Parc Fermé prevents checks on Charles' SF-23.

The Maranello team has issued an official statement, announcing further updates for tomorrow

Ferrari’s hands are tied

“There must be something wrong, I was losing control of the car at 60 km/h.” That’s how Charles Leclerc commented on his elimination in Q1 during the qualifying session for the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona. The Monegasque driver faced significant difficulties in being competitive in the first session, only managing to stay ahead of Logan Sargeant’s Williams. As a result, he finds himself starting from the 19th position on the grid.

Via radio, the Ferrari pit wall informed Charles Leclerc that according to the available data, there didn’t seem to be any specific issues reported by the sensors on his SF-23 car, #16. However, the performance difference compared to Carlos Sainz suggests that there may indeed have been something that didn’t work properly on Leclerc’s Ferrari.

Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur credited his driver’s impressions, stating, “If Leclerc says something is broken, I trust him. Even after the end of the practice sessions, Charles was complaining about the car in left turns. We still need to understand what the problem is. At the start of the qualifying session, the track was damp in some corners, and several drivers complained or had accidents.”

In the evening, the Scuderia Ferrari issued the following official statement: “Regarding Charles Leclerc’s car, we will not be able to conduct an inspection tonight due to the Parc Fermé regulations. Further information will be provided in the morning.” So far, the regulations have prevented the Maranello team from conducting detailed checks on the Monegasque driver’s car. We will follow the developments of this ‘Leclerc mystery’ live from Barcelona through our correspondent.