Leclerc laments strange balance of Ferrari in Spanish GP qualifying

Martin Macdonald Saturday 11 May 2019 17:16

Charles Leclerc believes his qualifying session for the Spanish Grand Prix on Saturday was hampered by a balance issue, particularly in Q3.

In Q2, the Monegasque driver went wide on a tight turn and bumped over the trackside kerb, causing significant damage to the underside of his Ferrari.

Although he managed to get back into the garage and get it fixed just in the nick of time to qualify for Q3, his pace wasn’t there in the final round. He has revealed that the car’s balance was “very strange” in the final laps.

“Well, I'm not very happy, but on the other hand in Q2 I don't really understand how I could lose that much of the car on the kerb,” Leclerc said.

🔎 Repairs to @Charles_Leclerc's floor after he runs over the kerbs#SpanishGP 🇪🇸 #F1 pic.twitter.com/rYcH3xsuDO
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 11, 2019

“I did not expect it. I got a little bit of understeer, but I kept it flat thinking everything would be fine. Unfortunately, we broke quite a lot and then had to stop again.

“It's still unclear to me. In Q3 the balance was very strange so we need to check the car and see if everything is fine.”

Valtteri Bottas took pole position with Lewis Hamilton in behind, with Mercedes once again locking out the front row. Leclerc reckons Ferrari were always slower - even before he damaged his car

“Anyway, we were slower than the Mercedes today and that's it,” he added.

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Leclerc laments strange balance of Ferrari in Spanish GP qualifying

Leclerc laments strange balance of Ferrari in Spanish GP qualifying