Charles Leclerc took his first podium of the season after an impressive performance at the British Grand Prix. Although the Monegasque led the race for most of the time, Lewis Hamilton took victory in the final laps at Silverstone.
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During the race, the Ferrari driver faced a number of engine problems that hampered his progress in the race. At the post-race press conference, Leclerc spoke more about these issues.
Charles Leclerc admits that engine problems led him to believe his race was over
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Leclerc looked extraordinary all weekend at Silverstone and erased memories of his disastrous French Grand Prix last month. While the Monegaske P4 qualified for the first sprint race in F1, it maintained that place on the grid after finishing fourth on Saturday.
After Max Verstappen dropped out of the race due to contact with Hamilton, Leclerc snuck past the Brit just before red flags. After the restart, the 23-year-old led the race after impressive laps on medium tires. However, he struggled with engine problems during the race, which he made clear on the team radio.
During the post-race press conference, the Monegasque admitted that these issues were the only slip up in his race. He said: “I was really there every lap. So I don’t think there will ever be a lap where I made a big mistake – and especially in the first stint with engine problems, I thought my race was over. “
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Leclerc: We coped well with the situation
While his race engineer needed a lot of adjustments from him, Leclerc believed the team handled the situation well.
Formula 1 F1 – Great Britain Grand Prix – Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone, Great Britain – July 17, 2021 Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in Sprint Qualifying REUTERS / Peter Cziborra
“I was pretty busy on the steering wheel, but yeah, I think we handled the situation very, very well and managed to reduce those engine failures for the rest of the race,” he added.
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Despite these problems, Leclerc was on the verge of taking Ferrari’s first race win since the 2019 Singapore Grand Prix. Hamilton’s pace turned out to be too high for the Monegasque, however, forcing him to settle for P2 as his first podium finish in 2021.
With this podium, however, Ferrari continued to show encouraging signs after a disastrous 2020 season. Can Leclerc hold the momentum ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix? Only time can tell.
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The post Charles Leclerc details struggles with Ferrari F1 engine during the British GP first appeared on monter-une-startup.
