A “difficult to digest” non-start for Leclerc at home

This is not the first time in his young career that Charles Leclerc finds himself in adversity. We are talking about a driver who was on his way to his first career victory when he was betrayed by his mechanics at Bahrain 1. 

We will not recall in detail the terrible ordeals he had to face in his private life. But having to give up participating in his national Grand Prix, the most prestigious meeting of the season, was a hard blow to take. Especially since he had to start from the lead position!

From his blank session in EL1 due to a gearbox problem (already!), to his best time in EL2; from his first attempt in Q3 which gave him provisional pole, to his crash in the final moments of qualifying; Leclerc will have gone through all the emotions this week in the Principality. 

The Monegasque feared having to change gearboxes after his accident on Saturday afternoon but his team gave him the green light after a series of checks. Unfortunately, the local hero had to give up, with sadness in his soul, after suffering a mechanical problem during his grid lap, attributed to a transmission problem at the left rear.

« It was very very complicated to manage the emotions in the garage, Leclerc told television microphones. But I'm starting to get used to it here unfortunately. I've never finished a race here. And this time, I couldn't even start even though I was on pole.

It's difficult to digest. I feel sorry for the team too. The mechanics worked really hard last night to check everything ». 

Leclerc added that he was not sure if the problem came directly from his gearbox but he suspected that his early retirement was linked to his accident in qualifying. His home pole truly was a Pyrrhic victory.