The checkered flag in Abu Dhabi brings the curtain down on the 2023 Formula 1 season, and podium drivers can bid farewell to the year with the customary “donuts.” Well, not everyone; Charles Leclerc is an exception, halted by the Ferrari pit wall: the reason for the ban.
The final 58 laps of the 2023 Formula One championship deliver the 19th seasonal victory to an outstanding Max Verstappen, the absolute star of the season. Behind him, 17 seconds later, comes the Ferrari SF-23 of Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque driver of the Maranello team, having had a weekend at the peak of his abilities, cannot, however, celebrate the end of the season as hoped.
At the end of the race in the United Arab Emirates, the Ferrari driver asks his race engineer over the team radio if he can perform the usual “burnouts” that the top three drivers usually stage on the main straight. The response from the track engineer Xavi Marcos is categorical and uncompromising: “No! No burnouts!”
The reaction of the Monegasque driver is disheartened: “I can’t even do this? Damn!”
The pit wall does not budge from its position. Xavi, the engineer of the Prancing Horse driver, points Charles Leclerc to the grid: “Slow down, no burnout. Come to the grid.”
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But why did Ferrari ban donuts for Charles Leclerc in Abu Dhabi?
Many on social media asked the question post-race in Yas Marina. Some speculated that the ban was related to a low amount of residual fuel in the SF-23’s tank, and that Ferrari did not want to risk disqualification.
However, the most credible explanation from the paddock seems to be related to the wear of some components. It appears that Ferrari did not want to excessively consume, potentially damaging, the gearbox of Charles Leclerc’s car in anticipation of its use in the young driver tests on Tuesday.
Source: f1ingenerale
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