A Sunday that started out in jubilant spirits ended in heartbreak soon thereafter for Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc. The Monegasque who was to start his home Grand Prix in pole position was ruled out of the race due to a problem with his car’s driveshaft. What was puzzling, however, was the fact that this issue went undetected by the team after Leclerc’s crash in qualifying the previous day. Ferrari themselves are trying to work out why they couldn’t detect this problem and deal with it earlier.

Team boss Mattia Binotto said, “On our side we need to understand what happened really, and why it happened. And more than that, if we could have detected it in parc ferme from Saturday afternoon and race morning.

“It’s more important really to understand why we didn’t detect a problem on the car. The problem was not there when he left the garage, so the problem started to appear in turn six.

“The parts that went on the car were not showing any problem. So we will be looking at the parts in the next days, and looking at the data.”

It was initially suspected that Leclerc‘s inability to participate in the race was due to gearbox problems. Leclerc’s shunt which brought an end to qualifying played a big role in making that assumption. However, this was refuted by Leclerc and the team.

Although one of their drivers had a day to forget, the other made up for it by providing the Scuderia with a reason to smile on Sunday.

Carlos Sainz stars for Ferrari despite the heartbreaking DNS for Charles Leclerc

Sainz brought some joy to the Ferrari fans who have had little to cheer about in the last year or so. The ex-McLaren driver, who started out in P4, capitalized on the exit of his teammate and Valtteri Bottas to take home his first-ever podium, a P2 finish, for the iconic team in red.

Sainz’s performance in Monaco helped him catch up to Leclerc in the Drivers’ championship standings. He currently has 38 points to his name compared to Leclerc’s 40. More importantly, his showing in Monaco keeps the Prancing Horse in the hunt for a ‘best of the rest’ finish.

Trending

Liam Lawson’s Surprise Contract Clause Threatens Daniel Ricciardo’s RB Seat

April 24, 2024 11:15 AM EDT

F1 Rumor: Christian Horner and Wife Geri to Publicly Reveal All Details on Leaked Chat Scandal

April 22, 2024 04:10 PM EDT

Daniel Ricciardo To Be Replaced by Liam Lawson After Miami, F1 Pundit Dishes Out Harsh Verdict After Australian’s “Amateur Mistake”

April 17, 2024 11:14 AM EDT

Miami GP 2024: Max Verstappen Embraces the American Spirit With Helmet Design

April 23, 2024 06:15 PM EDT

Carlos Sainz Blames Charles Leclerc for Causing Fred Vasseur’s Painful Chinese GP Loss

April 21, 2024 12:23 PM EDT

Get instantly notified of the hottest F1 stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

Ferrari fans will hope that Sainz can provide more of the same in Baku and that Leclerc will have better luck. Can the Ferrari duo spring a surprise or two, come June 6? Only time will tell.

Why did Ferrari Sign Carlos Sainz?