In what turned into a disastrous Formula 1 outing, Ferrari has labeled the recent Canadian Grand Prix as “a race to forget,” following a multitude of challenges that plagued both their drivers, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz. The weekend was characterized by mishaps starting from damp track conditions, mechanical failures, and risky maneuvers gone wrong, culminating in both drivers retiring before the race’s end.
Charles Leclerc’s race took a downward spiral due to a critical power unit issue that caused a dramatic decrease in speed. Despite attempts to manage the situation, including a pit stop to reset the car, Leclerc found himself a lap down and eventually retired on the 40th lap to save the car from further damage. He explained the gravity of the situation, stating in a race review from the team, as quoted by Pit Pass:
“The bottom line today is that the engine issue is what compromised our race. We were losing substantial lap time compared to the other cars, so we tried to go on slicks, knowing that it was our only chance to try to finish in the points. There was nothing to lose and I’ve got no regrets on that.
“This one hurts and it’s a big loss of points for the team with both of us unable to finish. We will look into the issue we had to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
Carlos Sainz also found himself in dire straits right from the start, losing positions early due to starting on the more drenched side of the grid. Later in the race, the Spanish driver lost control of the SF24 on the wet track sending him spinning. In the midst of this, he collided with Alex Albon causing damage which ultimately ended his race. Reflecting on the race, Sainz remarked:
“A race to forget for the team. We knew today was going to be difficult because we have been struggling all weekend with grip and car handling. The entire race was on the edge, and when I tried to push in the DRS train to overtake I made a mistake on the kerb and for that I want to say sorry to the team and to Alex [Albon].
“We have work to do ahead of Spain to understand what has happened this weekend and make sure we don’t find ourselves again in this situation in the upcoming races. We move on.”
Fred Vasseur, the team principal, didn’t his mince words about the Grand Prix’s grueling impact on the team. He explained:
“This has been a very tough weekend for us. On one side of the garage with Charles we had an issue on the engine which meant we lost around 80 horsepower for about 15 laps. We were hoping for a red flag to be able to do a reset and restart. There was no red flag, so we had to pit which cost us a lap and effectively that was the end of Charles’ race as he was lapped.
“With Carlos, he did not get a very good start and so he was in the pack and at one point there was contact in which he damaged the rear wing and also the floor, so it was impossible for him to continue.
“For sure, it’s not been a good weekend right from the very beginning. I hope it means we have had all our troubles in the one Grand Prix and that we will be back in Spain in much better shape. We will debrief and look at what we could have done differently. We didn’t expect this weekend to be so difficult especially as our long run pace was good on Friday. It’s a long season, so we will have ups and downs but I hope we don’t have too many ‘downs’ like this.”
Uncommon Knowledge
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