Martin Brundle frustrated by ‘struggling’ 26-year-old driver during Bahrain Grand Prix

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Martin Brundle shared the frustrations of Charles Leclerc as he explained over his team radio that he was having issues during the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix.

After putting his Ferrari on the front row of the grid in qualifying, the Monegasque driver didn’t have the same luck during the race.

Covering the Grand Prix for Sky Sports F1, Brundle was concerned by what he saw from the 26-year-old during the opening race of the 2024 season.

Brundle worried by Leclerc display during Bahrain GP

All eyes were on the front row of the grid in Sakhir as the five red lights went out for the first time this year.

Charles Leclerc and George Russell got off the grid well, but Max Verstappen led into turn one and drove off into the distance in a move reminiscent of 2023.

However, the battle behind him quickly hotted up and Sergio Perez highlighted just how much faster the Red Bull is compared to their rivals during the race.

The Mexican found a way past both Ferraris and Russell while Carlos Sainz drove magnificently to overtake his teammate and finish on the podium.

The struggles of Charles Leclerc in Bahrain were highlighted by Martin Brundle and the 26-year-old himself over the team radio.

He’ll hope the issues he rose during the race will be fixed before next weekend’s Grand Prix in Saudi Arabia otherwise it’s going to be a miserable start to the campaign.

Ferrari with work to do on Leclerc’s car

As the Monegasque driver went wide once again, Brundle said: “Dear oh dear, that’s as close as you want [to the back of Valtteri Bottas]. I think he had to bail out of that so he didn’t hit the back of the Sauber.

“He’s struggling to slow the Ferrari down generally Charles Leclerc, especially into turn 10.”

Croft added: “But those hard tyres may be taking a little bit longer to warm up as well and are not giving him the grip.”

Brundle concluded: “Absolutely, but this is critical for those that have stopped early.”

Leclerc agreed with Brundle that he was having a tough time in Bahrain and reiterated to his team: “I just can’t get out of front locking. Everywhere!”

He added further into the race: “My car is going fully to the right when braking.”

Leclerc is well known for being supremely quick over one lap before typically falling away during races.

He’s not been helped by his Ferrari but needs to improve that record going forward, especially with Lewis Hamilton set to join him next season.