Charles Leclerc reveals ‘really difficult’ Ferrari issues that plagued Monaco Grand Prix qualifying

Follow us on Google Discover

Charles Leclerc suffered his worst result in qualifying at the Monaco Grand Prix since 2023, and has revealed how he has faced ‘really difficult’ issues within his side of the Ferrari garages for a matter of weeks now.

The home Grand Prix hero was one of the favourites for pole position heading into this weekend’s round at Monaco, having previously secured front-of-the-pack starts on three occasions in the past.

However, it simply wasn’t meant to be, with the high-flying generational talents of Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli coming alive once again during the Italian’s final flying lap of the session.

To make matters worse for Leclerc, an incident on his own final flying lap saw him unable to complete it, and he was forced to trundle back into the pit lane while Ferrari counterpart Lewis Hamilton edged him to claim P3 on the grid for the Monaco Grand Prix.

The seven-time world champion’s effort comes after his best-ever performance in Ferrari colours at the previous round of racing in Montreal, during a race where Leclerc struggled massively compared to Hamilton.

As such, the Monegasque driver’s side of the garage seems to be in some sort of turmoil, despite Ferrari announcing an extension to Leclerc’s contract just days before the start of the race weekend in the Principality.

• READ MORE: Damon Hill has one question for Charles Leclerc after seeing Kimi Antonelli take pole at Monaco GP

Charles Leclerc opens up on Ferrari ‘issues’ on his side of the garage

Speaking to French broadcaster Canal+ in the media pen following the conclusion of qualifying, Leclerc was a solemn figure as he spoke about his disappointing end to qualifying after such a promising start to the weekend.

Can Kimi Antonelli extend his record run with a fifth consecutive win to open his Grand Prix victory account in Monaco?

Comment

Like or Comment

Have your say Sign-in now for free

“I think that pretty much sums up our whole weekend here in Monaco,” he said of his P4 grid slot for Sunday’s Grand Prix. “And not just Monaco, but Montreal as well.

“For the last two weekends, I’ve been having quite a few issues on my end, from the garage; well, I’m not sure if they’re problems or just characteristics of something in particular that’s making things really difficult for me.

“Unfortunately, that means I didn’t really have a clear idea of the setup in my head when I went into qualifying, and I was still trying to figure it out. Unfortunately, it changes from lap to lap. There was a lot of inconsistency with the car, and that’s that.

“I gave it a go on the last lap. Everything was going well right up to the corner, right up to the corner where I made contact. In the end, it didn’t work out; that’s just how it is.”

• READ MORE: Charles Leclerc reveals how long he intends to stay in F1 after signing new Ferrari contract

Despite Leclerc’s strong words about his result, it is still all very much to play for at turn one during the Grand Prix.

Ferrari are renowned for their fast-starting turbo element, and with both SF-26s on the second row of the grid, the Monegasque driver leading up the hill and into Beau Rivage certainly isn’t out of the question.