Karun Chandhok saw ‘difference’ in Charles Leclerc’s onboard footage that caused Barcelona GP crash

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Karun Chandhok spotted a ‘difference’ in Charles Leclerc’s onboard footage after his crash during qualifying for the Barcelona Grand Prix.

On Saturday, George Russell secured pole position for the Barcelona Grand Prix as he produced the fastest lap ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Antonelli. 

The 28-year-old had been under mounting pressure due to Antonelli’s recent form but reminded everyone what he is capable of with a brilliant lap time of 1:14.679.

While Russell celebrated pole position, Ferrari’s Leclerc was left searching for answers again after a dismal session. 

During Q3, Leclerc crashed and brought out the red flag, with his SF-26 hitting the barriers. 

As a result, the Monegasque will start Sunday’s Grand Prix in 10th place and will need an almighty performance if he wants to finish on the podium.

Karun Chandhok saw ‘difference’ in Charles Leclerc’s onboard footage after Barcelona crash

Speaking during the red flag interval, Sky Sports F1 analyst and ex-driver Chandhok spotted a ‘difference’ in Leclerc’s driving line while looking at his onboard footage. 

Chandhok stated that Leclerc was tighter on entry before he crashed, which resulted in his tyre going onto the dusty part of the track. 

He said: “I thought I’d just pull up the onboard side by side to see the differences. The one on the right is where he crashed; the one on the left is the previous lap.

“There is a difference in the line; just watch as he goes in. The one on the right, he’s gone in a bit tighter; you could see he’s gone in earlier into the apex, tighter entry, he’s understeering off, it’s quite different.

“Because he’s turned in earlier, he’s then got this push, and it’s understeer. That has put him out on the dirtier part of the track.”

Chandhok continued: “And then, as he picked the power up, it snapped, quite clearly, Leclerc is further out on the lap that he crashed. 

“That’s what happens: the rear left tyre, I think, is on the dusty part; when he puts the power down, it just keeps going.

“I think the reason why he ended up having this crash actually starts all the way back on the entry. That is where the difference is; the shallow entry has led to him being slightly off line, so when he picks up the power, he went off and into the barrier.”

George Russell on pole, with Kimi Antonelli off the front row for the first time in 2026 😮‍💨 Who was the biggest surprise in qualifying in Barcelona?

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READ MORE: Martin Brundle issues ‘unusual’ verdict on ‘25G+’ Charles Leclerc crash at the Barcelona Grand Prix

Charles Leclerc feels ‘ashamed’ after crashing out of qualifying in Barcelona

Speaking after the session, Leclerc took all the blame as he admitted that he feels ‘ashamed’ after the accident.

As per Sky Sports F1, Leclerc said: “I just feel very much ashamed to be here after a crash like that. 

“What did I do? I released the brakes earlier and I tried to carry speed. I think on the previous lap, we were close to being the fastest car on every corner apart from turn four.

“I knew it was a weakness and I knew I had to make everything perfect for that lap and I tried, but I obviously regret it. Again, I feel very much ashamed.”