Leclerc wants to thank Ferrari in ‘best possible way’ after crash repairs
Charles Leclerc wants to thank Ferrari in the “best possible way” with a good result in Jeddah Formula 1 qualifying after his car required significant repairs following his FP2 crash.
Leclerc lost the rear of his car at Turn 22 towards the end of second practice for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, causing him to slam into the barrier at high speed.
The session was immediately red flagged, but Leclerc was able to get out of the car unassisted and told his Ferrari team that he was OK. He underwent routine medical checks before being given the all clear by the doctors.
Ferrari said after the session that it would review Leclerc’s chassis and power unit to see if they could be repaired in time for Saturday, later confirming both could still be run in FP3 and qualifying.
But the crash nevertheless left the Ferrari crew facing a big workload ahead of Saturday’s running to get Leclerc’s car repaired.
Leclerc finished FP2 10th-fastest despite his late crash, ending the session seven-tenths of a second behind pace-setter Lewis Hamilton.
“[It was] a day that unfortunately didn’t end up the way I wanted,” Leclerc said.
“But overall, we went through everything we wanted to test. I think the potential is here, and if we put everything together for tomorrow, we should have a good day.
“But obviously I’m sorry for the team who will have to do a big, big work ahead of tomorrow for the car to be ready.
“Hopefully I’ll do a good enough job to thank them in the best way possible with a good result tomorrow.”
Marshals remove the damaged car of Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF21, from the circuit
Photo by: Jerry Andre / Motorsport Images
Ferrari heads into this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix with the chance to clinch third place in the constructors’ championship ahead of McLaren with one race to spare.
The Italian team sits 39.5 points clear of McLaren in the standings, meaning a five-point swing this weekend would give it an unassailable advantage before the Abu Dhabi season finale.
“We don’t want to relax,” Leclerc told Motorsport.com on Thursday in Jeddah.
“With these last two races, I think there’s still plenty to learn as a team to try and optimise all of my package better.
“This will help us indirectly for next year, so we need to keep pushing.”
Be part of Motorsport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
Related video
The race that transformed perceptions of Red Bull
Has Alonso made the right choice gambling on Aston Martin F1?
Hamilton in the process of selecting Brad Pitt’s co-star for F1 movie
Sainz: Leclerc start battle "cost us a lot" in F1 Chinese GP
Leclerc: “Strange” Ferrari struggled on hard tyres in F1 Chinese GP
What's been going wrong for Leclerc in F1's tiny margins qualifying game
How Ferrari could have won Le Mans outright in its factory absence
Sainz blasts "most unfair penalty ever", seeks stewards' explanation
The recent Australian GP form history that will boost Ferrari in F1 2023
Haas F1 boss says Magnussen's Chinese GP penalty not "justifiable"
How rain and strategy spelled disaster for Ferrari in WEC Imola 6 Hours
China F1 upgrades in full, from tweaked headrests to new floors
Wolff: Mercedes can't just keep living off F1 "bright spots"
Chinese Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2024
Why Verstappen's China F1 win was a sideshow to the real battle
How the pursuit of marginal F1 gains caused Sauber's pitstop stumbles
The short-term pain that hides a very real Williams improvement
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments