Ferrari driver takes 'Mario Kart' dig at Jeddah track

Carlos Sainz, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Bahrain, 2024 — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News & Gossip

Ferrari driver takes 'Mario Kart' dig at Jeddah track

Charles Leclerc was displeased at the state of the Corniche Circuit in FP1

Shay Rogers

Thursday 7 March 2024 21:57

Charles Leclerc has fired shots at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix track before a full hour of running in Jeddah.

FP1 took place in the hot daylight of Jeddah, where Max Verstappen led Fernando Alonso in warm conditions.

Charles Leclerc finished fifth, as he bids to recover from a difficult opening race of the season where he was plagued by brake issues on his way to a fourth placed finish.

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Displeased with the state of the Corniche Circuit, Leclerc took to his radio to complain about multiple plastic bags laying around the track.

Charles Leclerc struggled at the Bahrain Grand Prix

Charles Leclerc was unhappy about the state of the Corniche Circuit

Chaos at the Corniche

The Monegasque driver joked that driving around the Corniche was akin to Mario Kart, where you are likely to encounter banana skins and other obstacles – similar to plastic bags in F1 terms.

Any plastic that gets caught in awkward places such as a radiator could cause the car to overheat and create a fire or cause a breakdown on track.

Ferrari were last victims of track conditions at the Las Vegas Grand Prix last year when Carlos Sainz’s car was all-but destroyed by a manhole cover.

While all drivers managed to successfully avoid any damage from the flying bags, Leclerc found the time to complain to his team about the state of the circuit.

Charles Leclerc: "The track is like Mario Kart!"

What makes you think that, @Charles_Leclerc? pic.twitter.com/upOjGPq3jH
— GPFans Global (@GPFansGlobal) March 7, 2024