THERE COULD BE TROUBLE AHEAD!
Leclerc fears Ferrari unreliability could let him down once more
CHARLES LECLERC is anticipating more trouble at Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix.
Leclerc saw title rival Max Verstappen win in Baku last Sunday when his Ferrari retired in a plume of smoke while leading the race.
The Monegasque has started from pole for the last four races – but has failed to convert any in to a victory due to either poor tyre strategy or an unreliable car.
A comfortable 28-point lead over Red Bull’s Verstappen after four races has now become a 34-point deficit. Leclerc said: “We were in the lead of the race, I was managing the tyres well, we just had to manage the tyres and the race till the end.
“We were definitely in the best position possible to do that. Another DNF – it hurts. We really need to look into that for it to not happen again. It is just a huge disappointment.”
But more problems could be lurking in Montreal.
As part of new price-capping regulations, each car is only permitted a certain number of engine parts throughout the season. And the team yesterday admitted the engine that caused Leclerc to retire when leading the Spanish GP last month “was beyond repair”.
Replacing the power unit could result in Ferrari (below) choosing to take up a 10-place grid penalty for tomorrow’s race, and with that potentially more points lost to Verstappen.
Mercedes have brought in a stiffer floor for their machine, which they hope will reduce the bouncing that is costing Hamilton and team-mate George Russell more than a second a lap – as well as giving Hamilton back problems. Hamilton, who had acupuncture and cryotherapy to ensure he was fit to drive here, said: “I can definitely feel that I’m a little bit shorter this week and my discs are definitely not in the best shape right now.”