Leclerc questions Ferrari over sudden Miami performance loss
Charles Leclerc has expressed curiosity over why his Ferrari suffered a noticeable drop in performance between Saturday and Sunday at the Miami Grand Prix, News.Az reports, citing RacingNews365.
After finishing sixth on the road — but being classified eighth following a post-race penalty — in Florida, the Monegasque driver voiced his wish "to understand exactly what happened" regarding the fading pace of his SF-26.
The eight-time grand prix winner had secured third place in the sprint at the Miami International Autodrome, before going on to take third on the grid for the main race the following day.
However, after taking part in an engaging three-way battle for the lead with Kimi Antonelli and Lando Norris during the opening stages of the 57-lap race, his pace began to fade. He subsequently started falling back into the reach of those behind, most notably Oscar Piastri and George Russell.
RECOMMENDED STORIES
Russell’s early pit stop prompted Ferrari to react on the following lap, and from that moment onwards, Leclerc’s afternoon in the Sunshine State began to unravel. It ultimately escalated into a chaotic — and costly — final lap as he battled the former for the final podium position.
Even before the chain of events that turned a promising result into a disappointing outcome, Leclerc was already beginning to lose pace and drift out of range of Norris and Antonelli ahead, which left him unable to realistically fight for victory.
Reflecting on the difficulties he encountered, the 28-year-old told media: "Medium [tyre], we weren't strong; we were degrading a massive amount.
"On the hard, it wasn't great at the beginning, then it picked up, and then it was a little bit better. But it was never at the level of the sprint."
The Ferrari driver urged the Italian team to thoroughly examine the issues that affected his race performance. He added: "We need to look at it.
"We've lost a lot of performance compared to then. And I would like to understand exactly what happened there."
By Nijat Babayev
Similar news
