There was a cry for help after his crash on the formation lap of
the São Paulo Grand Prix: Charles Leclerc wondered aloud why he has
had so much bad luck. The Monégasque was supposed to start from
second place but lost control of his Ferrari due to a mechanical
problem. The comments over team radio did not come out of the blue,
as it was not his only unfortunate moment in 2023… Bahrain (and
Saudi Arabia) Grand Prix New season, new opportunities. A year
earlier, Leclerc looked set to compete for the world title, but the
fast Ferrari ultimately couldn’t keep up with Max Verstappen’s even
faster Red Bull. Leclerc starts the first race of 2023 from third
place and stays in that spot for a long time. Fernando Alonso may
be approaching in the amazingly fast Aston Martin, but the
Monégasque seems to be securing precious points. But on lap 41 the
party is suddenly over. Leclerc suffers an electronic problem and
has to park his car beside the track. Not a nice start to the
season, especially because Ferrari again cannot keep up with Red
Bull’s pace. For Leclerc, things get even more annoying two weeks
later. The Control Electronics of the Ferrari is broken, resulting
in an immediate grid penalty of ten places for the second Grand
Prix… The text continues below the image. Australian Grand Prix
Leclerc still drives to seventh place in Saudi Arabia, picking up
his first points of the season. The third race will take place in
Melbourne, Australia, where Leclerc will have to start from the
same spot. The 26-year-old driver works his way up to the front in
the first corners, before getting into an Aston Martin sandwich. At
that point, things go wrong again, as Leclerc receives a small,
unfortunate tap from Lance Stroll and ends up in the gravel pit.
The second retirement in three races… Miami Grand Prix In Miami,
Leclerc himself goes wrong several times. It starts on Friday, as
in the second free practice session the Ferrari is suddenly in the
wall after his mistake, which gives his mechanics a lot of work. A
day later, things go wrong again during his flying attempt in
qualifying. He pushes hard to get a good starting position and
crashes again. This only increases the frustration of the five-time
Grand Prix winner. Spanish Grand Prix The Spanish Grand Prix turned
into a dramatic weekend for Leclerc. In qualifying, his Ferrari was
off the pace and he finished in 19th place. Afterwards, a problem
comes to light, forcing the Italian team to adjust the set-up.
Leclerc has to start from the pit lane and in the race gets no
further than eleventh place, 74 seconds behind winner Verstappen.
Hungarian Grand Prix At the Hungaroring, Leclerc crosses the line
in sixth place. Not much to worry about you would say, but nothing
could be further from the truth. Afterwards, the Monégasque
receives a five-second penalty for speeding in the pits, costing
him a place to George Russell. Plenty else went wrong during the
race, too. Leclerc had no water, no radio ánd had to deal with a
long pit stop of nine seconds. Another unlucky day for the Ferrari
driver. United States Grand Prix In the United States, Leclerc and
Ferrari again lost precious points, this time due to an unusual
disqualification. The car’s skid block has worn off too much,
causing the stewards to remove Leclerc from the results. It is bad
luck, as Leclerc falls victim to a minute error of judgement by the
team. Sixth place and eight points disappear like snow in the sun.
São Paulo Grand Prix Unfortunately, the São Paulo GP is Leclerc’s
most recent day of bad luck. Qualifying second behind Verstappen,
the 26-year-old driver openly spoke of a chance to take the lead at
the first corner. Leclerc would ultimately never arrive there due
to a hydraulic problem. At turn six, the car gives up the ghost and
Leclerc spins into the wall as the power steering suddenly
disappeared. Hopefully, the Monégasque can finish the season in Las
Vegas and Abu Dhabi on a fine note…. View the video of the crash
in Brazil below!
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