Ferrari’s investigation into the mechanical failure that prevented polesitter Charles Leclerc from starting the Monaco Grand Prix has revealed that his qualifying accident was indeed to blame, as it caused a crack in a driveshaft hub that ultimately culminated in Sunday’s laps to the Starting place failed.
Leclerc was given clearance to start from pole after Ferrari checked the gearbox and determined it was clear to compete in Monte Carlo, avoiding a five-place penalty, but he encountered a problem when he pitted left to take his place on the grid and forced him back into the pits.
READ MORE: Binotto insists Ferrari didn’t back Leclerc gearbox and says DNS may have nothing to do with qualifying crash
He was unable to start his home Grand Prix due to insufficient time to fix the problem – and he had to watch from the sidelines. Team boss Mattia Binotto hinted on Sunday night that the problem might not have been related to his qualifying crash, but Ferrari have now confirmed that was not the case. A team spokesman told F1.com that when they dismantled the car at their Maranello base, they found the crack in the hub was caused by Saturday’s impact.
Parc Ferme rules limit the time a team has to inspect their car after qualifying with just one hour on Saturday before the car is sealed. You’ll get it back by 10am on Sunday morning, just five hours before the Grand Prix.
2021 Monaco Grand Prix: Gearbox problem forces Leclerc to retire before race
This second window allowed Ferrari to carry out more detailed checks – but they didn’t check the hub as it is not part of the checks for this type of impact – which was on the opposite side of the car from the accident.
This was a case the team has never seen before. When they started the car on Sunday morning the driveshaft was working, but when Leclerc hit the track the hub failed midway through the lap, damaging the driveshaft enough to dashed his hopes of entering the race.
READ MORE: ‘It’s hard to take’ – Leclerc ‘injured’ after technical issue prevents him from starting Monaco
The gearbox is believed to remain cleared for re-use but as Leclerc did not race he will almost certainly take a new unit for the next Grand Prix as he can do so without penalty.
Ferrari say they will revise their processes regarding the inspection of driveshaft-related components to ensure such issues can be detected in the future.
