Charles Leclerc was on top of the Formula 1 world during Saturday's qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix. But the Scuderia Ferrari driver's rule at the top wouldn't just be short-lived, it wouldn't happen at all.
After a hugely disappointing Formula 1 season in 2020, things were looking up for Ferrari thanks to Leclerc's brilliant drive that gave them pole position during qualifying. It was their first pole taken since 2019. But Leclerc crashed his car towards the end of Q3 that led to extensive repairs that needed to be made in time for the next day's race.
Not how Charles Leclerc would have expected to take his eighth pole position š±#MonacoGP š²šØ #F1 pic.twitter.com/1Dq2Sg4Y7Q
ā Formula 1 (@F1) May 22, 2021
Ferrari was able to get all the necessary repairs done, but Leclerc noticed that all was not well during his warmup lap on race day. (via James Gray of Formula 1 ā iNews UK)
āNo, no, no, no,ā Leclerc said to his engineers on team radio. āThe gearbox, guys.ā
The team was able to make the peripheral repairs, but major changes like replacing the gearbox would incur a penalty that they didn't want to face. Upon initial inspection, they gambled that everything was fine, up until it wasn't.
Leclerc spoke out about the disappointment, not only for himself but also the mechanics who worked hard to get the car ready for the F1 race after his crash in qualifying.
āIām getting used to this feeling unfortunately, Iāve never finished a race here. This year I donāt start from pole, so itās a difficult one to take. āBut I also feel for the team. The mechanics have done such a hard job yesterday to try and check everything.
āThe mechanics were a bit happy this morning to see that everything seemed fine and all the parts were fine. Then this happened, so itās a shame for everybody.ā
Just heartbreaking for the young Formula 1 driver, who put himself in prime position to boost Ferrari's standing in the 2021 season.
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