Forced to abandon, Charles Leclerc reports a total loss of power

First Grand Prix and already the first misfortunes for Charles Leclerc. Too short to get the Red Bull, the Monegasque was on track to score a podium in Bahrain. This was without counting on a technical failure of its Ferrari SF-23 which dropped it at 41^e lap (out of 57) of the race after a sudden stop of its powertrain.

LAP 41 / 57

Oh no, not again 😖

📻 “No power” sighs Leclerc – he’s out ❌#BahrainGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/bRfRr6B2iR

— Formula 1 (@F1) March 5, 2023

« There was just no more power, lamented the 2022 vice-champion at the microphone of Canal +. It's a shame because it's on these weekends that we have to maximize the points, it's in the more difficult moments that we have to be present. We were there, we were having a great race so far with the potential of the car.

Unfortunately, this weekend we are a little behind and Red Bull is on another planet, especially in racing. Third was the best position we could hope for. It's a shame (...) I don't know what the problem is (encounter) so for the moment I don't want to comment too much but hey we're not finishing the race. You'll have to watch that »

Charles Leclerc and Ferrari too far from Red Bull

The Bahrain Grand Prix had started well for Charles Leclerc. Starting on new soft tires after sacrificing a run in qualifying the day before, the Monegasque managed to get the better of Sergio Pérez and move into 2^e position. But as the race progressed, the Red Bulls gained the upper hand over the Ferraris, powerless against the striking force of the Milton Keynes machines.

« This was the plan after qualifying, he emphasized, referring to his initial choice. This is a good sign because it means we made the right choice yesterday (SATURDAY). I didn't have too many doubts about that. We made a different choice of tires compared to the Red Bull. Quite honestly, I don't think it would have changed much whether we were soft or hard. They were way too fast for us this weekend."

While Ferrari proclaimed the end of reliability problems, the start of the season could not have been worse for Charles Leclerc who seemed to weigh his words after already an initial disappointment.

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