FP2 was canceled prematurely after Ferrari ace Leclerc hit a barrier on the brand new track in Jeddah
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Charles Leclerc fell spectacularly from a practice session at the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix, causing great damage to his Ferrari.
The second training session was canceled in Jeddah after Leclerc’s high-speed smash when he crashed into a barrier at Turn 23.
The crash caused massive damage to his car and resulted in the stewards abandoning the rest of the session with just a few minutes on the clock.
Fortunately, the Monaco racing driver was able to get out of his car and say over team radio that he was fine.
Leclerc used a new chassis for the first two practice sessions in Saudi Arabia after his engineers found a crack in his old one after qualifying in Qatar two weeks ago.
Charles Leclerc put his Ferrari into a barrier during a practice session at the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix
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Image:
James Moy Photography / PA Images)
Sky Sports F1 reporter Ted Kravitz said those engineers looked like a shock when the remains of Leclerc’s car were returned to their garage.
The damage looked severe and these Ferrari mechanics have a huge job ahead of them making sure the car is repaired and ready for qualifying on Saturday.
In the session that ended prematurely, Lewis Hamilton was again the fastest, having topped the charts in the first practice session of the day.
Aerial photos show the extent of the damage to Leclerc’s Ferrari
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Image:
F1)
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But while title rival Max Verstappen finished second in FP1 and was only five hundredths of a second behind, he was only fourth fastest in the second session with Hamilton’s team-mate Valtteri Bottas in second place.
Before his fall, Leclerc had set the tenth fastest time on the leaderboard.
The title race is wide open, with only two Grand Prix to go. The result in Saudi Arabia is therefore crucial for Mercedes and Red Bull – and their respective title contenders.
An ambulance came quickly to check that Leclerc was okay
(
Image:
James Moy Photography / PA Images)
Verstappen is eight points ahead of Hamilton, but the Mercedes man has the momentum after victories in Brazil and Qatar.
He kept his “sharp” engine in reserve for the last two races and proved his speed in the practice sessions on Friday.
The racers will return to the new Jeddah track for another practice session on Saturday before qualifying later in the day and starting the race on Sunday.
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The post Charles Leclerc causes great damage to Ferrari in the GP smash in Saudi Arabia first appeared on monter-une-startup.
