Charles Leclerc already has his eyes on his home Grand Prix in Monaco this weekend after seeing a near-certain victory slip out of his hands in the Spanish Grand Prix due to a mechanical issue while comfortably in the lead.
The Scuderia Ferrari appeared to have the race in the bag only for a power unit problem to cause his retirement, but despite the disappointment of losing the win – and the lead in the Drivers’ Championship to Max Verstappen – he still feels there are many positives to take away from the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Leclerc was pleased Ferrari had found a way to manage the Pirelli’s tyres better on race day compared to what they were working with on the long runs on Friday, and he was comfortable behind the wheel of the F1-75 right up until he was forced to retire.
“So far this year, the team has been doing an incredible job in terms of reliability,” said Leclerc. “Of course this one hurts, because we were in front all weekend and worked really well.
“I know that things like this can happen sometimes and in moments like these, it is important to look at the positives. Our pace was very strong in qualifying and in the race and the feeling in the car was really good.
“We made progress in terms of tyre management, which is something that has been a weakness in the past few races. So it’s a shame and I’m disappointed that we lost the opportunity to score a lot of points, but the season is still long and we know we have the potential.
“Next up is my home race in Monaco, so I’m really looking forward to it and I hope that it will be a good one!”
“It was a very tough Sunday” – Carlos Sainz Jr.
Team-mate Carlos Sainz Jr. continued his run of scoring points in each of his home Grand Prix, although an early spin left him fighting for fourth rather than a place on the podium.
The Spaniard was caught out by a gust of wind at turn four that saw him spin in the gravel trap, and although he was able to escape, he was left with a damaged car for the rest of the day.
He fell down to fifth behind both Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team drivers in the race due to the downforce shortfalls, although he was able to capitalise on the late race dramas for Lewis Hamilton to reclaim fourth. However, he knew it was not the race he was hoping for.
“It was a very tough Sunday and very far from what we were hoping for,” said Sainz. “A gust of wind threw me off in turn 4 and unfortunately, my car was damaged.
“From then on, it was a big struggle for me, as a lack of downforce meant I was sliding around with the tyres pretty much everywhere. We gave absolutely everything to recover and managed to get back to P4, which is not too bad given the circumstances, but it’s far from ideal.
“A pity for Charles, as he retired when he was leading, but we will work as a team to come back stronger in Monaco.”
Sainz says the biggest positive in Spain was the crowd, which had flocked to the track in numbers not seen in the country for many years, many coming to support him in his home race.
“The biggest positive from today was the amazing crowd in the grandstands supporting us, so I want to really thank every fan out there for their support,” he said. “On to the next one.”
