Leclerc crashes Lauda’s 1974 Ferrari

Charles Leclerc crashed whilst driving Niki Lauda’s Ferrari 312B3 during a demo run at the 2022 Monaco Historic.

The youngster was on track with 8-time Grand Prix, and 6-time Le Mans winner, Jacky Ickx who was at the wheel of a 1970 Ferrari 312B.

Leclerc, who is currently leading the Formula One World Championship, was on the third and final lap of the demo run when he lost the rear end and spun off backwards into the barriers at the exit of Rascasse.

Though the rear wing was crumpled in the incident he was able to get going again and continue to the starting grid where he explained to Ickx that he’d suffered a brake issue.

“I lost the brakes,” he told the Belgian. “I lost the brakes, I braked, the pedal was hard, and it went to the floor.

“I was lucky to have it at that moment, because if I had had it at another place… it was no good,” he continued, “the problem is that I got scared. I arrived normally in the corner.”

He subsequently took to Twitter, posting: “When you thought you already had all the bad luck of the world in Monaco and you lose the brakes into Rascasse with one of the most iconic historical Ferrari Formula 1 car.”

“Charles was having a great time in the #MonacoHistorique show run, really enjoying driving Niki Lauda’s 312 B3-74, until a brake problem ended the run on his last lap,” confirmed Ferrari.

Since entering F1 in 2018 with Alfa Romeo, Leclerc has participated in his home Grand Prix three times. In his first season he finished 18th, the following year, now with Ferrari, he retired after hitting the barriers whilst battling with Nico Hulkenberg.

Last year, starting from pole, he failed to make the start, his gearbox failing after Ferrari opted not to change it when the youngster had crashed shortly after securing provisional pole in an incident that brought qualifying to a premature conclusion.

Two weeks ahead of the Grand Prix, fans took to social media hoping that Leclerc’s ‘Monaco curse’ is done for this year, whilst alos commenting on the glorious sound of the Flat-12 Ferrari engine that was to subsequently power Lauda to the 1975 and 1977 titles.

They also noted the size of the 1974 car compared to the much bigger versions today and the fact that it appeared so ‘”nervous”.

Ironically, though Lauda won two Grands Prix in the B3, its poor reliability, which saw him suffer eight retirements despite starting from pole on nine occasions, what caused teammate Ickx to quit the Maranello squad and join Lotus for the final two races of the season.

As for the video… “sound up”, as they say.