Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc has admitted he is feeling ‘very ashamed’ after another crash that saw him suffer an early end to qualifying for the Barcelona Grand Prix.
The 28-year-old has had a week to forget after suffering the same fate in his home race in Monaco last weekend, as he fell victim to raised tarmac that resulted in a red flag during the race.
He was hoping to bounce back in Barcelona this weekend, and eased into the third round of qualifying – but then things went south.
On his first lap of Q3, Leclerc suffered from oversteer and failed to correct the maneuver, resulting in a skid into the gravel and contact with the barrier.
He walked away unharmed, but will have to start from 10th on the grid and is already up against it in his bid to secure a solid finish.
A downbeat Leclerc spoke after qualifying, saying: ‘Q2 lap was really good, I think all corners we were the strongest nearly.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc said he is ‘feeling ashamed’ after crashing during Barcelona qualifying on Saturday
The star crashed out of the race in Monaco last weekend and suffered the same fate in Barcelona qualifying
‘Turn 4 was the weak corner for me so I released the brakes and I think I carried quite a lot more speed in, which was okay mid-corner but I ended up on the dirtier part of the track and lost the car. There’s no excuses, it’s a mistake.’
‘Feeling very ashamed of coming here to speak in front of the camera after another “what if”. Unfortunately last week was the same with what if we didn’t have that issue. This weekend is what if I didn’t do that mistake.
‘I just feel ashamed of not putting everything together on what was a very positive weekend so far. The feeling is back and still optimistic for tomorrow but I should be starting higher up and I don’t because of a mistake of mine.
‘I feel ashamed for disappointing so many people that are supporting us. [It] must be tough to stick with me.’
George Russell, meanwhile, bounced back from his recent run of misfortune to take a brilliant pole position for Mercedes – and he was joined on the front row by Lewis Hamilton, who pulled off perhaps the best qualifying session of his time at Ferrari.
Russell has seen team-mate Kimi Antonelli streak 68 points ahead of him in the drivers’ championship after winning the last five races, with the Brit pointless in the last two races after suffering engine failure when leading in Canada and finishing a lowly 13th after a penalty in Monaco.
‘I’ve got to be honest, just really happy to be back in my groove over the course of the whole weekend,’ said Russell. ‘It’s been a difficult few races for me. Obviously bad luck, there have been some poor performances in there, but went back to an approach that I knew works for me this weekend.
‘And more important than the pole position for me was just in every lap of the whole weekend, I was in the top two positions and I felt confident, I felt good. Just felt like my old self again.’
Hamilton revealed that before qualifying he was so frustrated by his car he left the paddock to chill out in his motorhome, parked a few hundred metres in a quiet part of the circuit infield.
George Russell and Lewis Hamilton celebrate landing a British 1-2 for Sunday’s race
‘I kind of went where I had a bit of a reset,’ he said. ‘Came back and I was able to somehow get back on it. So yeah, whatever it did, it worked.’
Changes made by the team to the car paid off for the man who finished second in the last two races, and is knocking on the door of a first Ferrari victory.
The two Brits demoted Antonelli to third spot. The Italian youngster will be determined to fight his way to the front but has a resurgent Lando Norris right behind him in his McLaren. Meanwhile Red Bull’s Max Verstappen lurks ominously in fifth spot, ready to pick up the pieces if there is trouble ahead.
Over the decades that it hosted the Spanish GP the Barcelona track rarely produced exciting races. But having lost out to Madrid on hosting that showpiece and switched to a new name – the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix – it could provide a cracker on Sunday.
Exactly 10 years ago, at the age of 18, Dutchman Verstappen scored his first F1 win on a day when then Mercedes team-mates Hamilton and Nico Rosberg collided and crashed out on the first lap. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff can only hope that his worst nightmare is not repeated by Russell and Antonelli.
