Spanish GP: Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc will start Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya from the pitlane after a shocking Q1 exit in qualifying. Leclerc finished 19th, while his teammate, Carlos Sainz secured P2 which suggests the Monegasque driver had issues with the car. Ferrari has now made the decision to change components on Leclerc’s SF-23 and consequently, Leclerc will start from the pitlane.
Leclerc’s qualifying session took a turn for the worse as he grappled with a mysterious issue that resulted in an early exit during Q1. Speaking about the problem, Leclerc expressed his frustration, particularly noting that it seemed to worsen on left-hand corners.
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“The left-hand corners were really bad with the rear-right, and I thought it was the tyres. So, we went for a new set of tyres. But on the new set, it was exactly the same feeling – right-hand corners were really good, and left-hand corners were completely off.
“We’ll have to check, but I would be very surprised if we don’t find something on the car”, Leclerc said after the Qualifying.
Due to parc ferme restrictions on Saturday night, Ferrari was unable to thoroughly analyze Leclerc’s car until the following morning. However, as a precautionary measure, the team decided to replace the entire rear of Leclerc’s SF-23, including the suspension and gearbox. The intention behind this move is to ensure there are no underlying issues that could compromise Leclerc’s race.
Pierre Gasly to start from P10 after Grid Penalty
Meanwhile, Alpine driver, Pierre Gasly, has received a six-place grid penalty for impeding other drivers during the qualifying session. Gasly had initially displayed an impressive performance, qualifying fourth on the grid. However, two impeding incidents, first with Carlos Sainz in the penultimate corner of Q1, and later with Max Verstappen in the first sector, led to a grid penalty. Gasly will now start from 10th position on Sunday.
According to the stewards’ report, Gasly’s team failed to provide him with an appropriate warning about the approach of other cars.
“The team failed to give appropriate warning to the driver of Car 10, of the approach of Car 1, having told him that cars behind were on a slow lap”, a stewards’ report for the Verstappen incident read.
For the incident with Sainz, the report read: “The driver of Car 10 stated he was aware that the second Ferrari (Car 55) was behind but felt he could do nothing to avoid impeding because of the high-speed delta and closeness of Car 55 to Car 16.
“However, it is the view of the Stewards that he could have moved further to the right at the exit of turn 13.”
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