Bis repeated.
Once again, smoke escapes from the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc in the middle of the race.
This Sunday, in Baku, the Monegasque experienced his second retirement of the season, after having already encountered a mechanical problem during the Spanish Grand Prix, three weeks ago.
"Words are hard to find, it hurts!"
delivered, downcast, Charles Leclerc at the end of his race.
"It's been three weekends in a row... It's been three hard knocks, but the motivation is still there," he continued.
Three hard knocks since the 24-year-old driver, victim of two engine failures, had also paid for his team's bad strategy in the Principality, during the last Grand Prix.
🗨️ "Words are hard to find... It hurts. I don't know what happened yet (...)"
Charles Leclerc's immense disappointment after Ferrari's double retirement in this # AzerbaijanGP 🇦🇿
▶️ https://t.co/7plkVVV12v pic.twitter.com/L56XjJbJa9
– CANAL+ F1® (@CanalplusF1) June 12, 2022
“He obviously feels injustice.
When it's like that, there are two options: either you crack, you realize that you can't be world champion anymore because the team isn't ready, the car isn't working, or you accept the thing.
And I think Charles is more into this attitude, ”explains former Formula 1 driver and Canal + consultant Franck Montagny.
“On the other hand, if he makes a mistake when he is capable of winning a race, there it can be a rupture”, he adds.
Leclerc irreproachable on his conduct
Despite a fourth pole position in a row, which confirms the fact that Leclerc has so far been flawless at the wheel and that his car is fast, the Ferrari driver once again had to give up scoring points for the World Championship.
If the Monegasque does not hide his disillusion, on the side of his staff, the evil is cured by relativizing: "We are not going to dramatize either, we are going to understand the problems and try to solve them, delivered Mattia Binotto, the sports director from the Italian team.
Drivers also have a role to play in keeping the right spirit.
It takes patience sometimes.
The start of the season was positive, it can change, you have to look to the future with the desire to do well.
»
Charles Leclerc's turn to retire when he was leading the Grand Prix!
Catastrophic Sunday for Ferrari ❌❌#AzerbaijanGP🇦🇿 |
▶️ https://t.co/7plkVVV12v pic.twitter.com/F3CXlddrHF
– CANAL+ F1® (@CanalplusF1) June 12, 2022
The season had indeed started well for the Scuderia, with Leclerc quickly leading the general classification thanks to two successes in Bahrain and Australia.
But since a few Grand Prix, everything has gone wrong.
Numerically, Leclerc is even now relegated to third place in the standings (116 points), since Sergio PĂ©rez (128), second in Baku, stole the place of dolphin from Max Verstappen (150).
“If Charles wants to play for the world title and his team makes
mistakes
, then he has no right to fault, assures Franck Montagny.
So he has double the pressure.
It must be absolutely perfect.
If his team is not at 200%, he must be to restore the balance.
»
Big concern for reliability, several teams affected
Beyond the title, which is gradually slipping away because of these wasted opportunities, the reliability of the Ferrari engine raises many questions.
In addition to the red single-seaters with a black horse, the Italian brand's customer teams have also been experiencing disappointments for several weeks.
In Barcelona, ​​like Leclerc, Alfa Romeo driver Guanyu Zhou was forced to retire following an engine failure.
Then, a week later, it was Kevin Magnussen's turn to have to store his Haas in the garage.
The Monaco Grand Prix alone symbolizes the unreliability of the Ferrari engine: two MGU-K (electric motor) failures for Haas, a similar failure for Alfa Romeo during free practice, then Magnussen's retirement from the race.
“In Monte Carlo we had problems and so did Alfa Romeo.
I hope it will end there.
There are concerns.
They are there all the time.
But after Monte-Carlo, they are even bigger,” confided Günther Steiner, Haas team manager.
A clever mix of power and reliability
“The Ferrari engine works well, it's a big asset, analyzes Franck Montagny.
But if the engine is powerful, you have to accept the reliability problem, and that, from time to time, there is a small hiccup.
So how do you solve this engine failure problem?
The ex-pilot outlines the beginning of an answer: “The solution is simple, you have to reduce the power a little.
There, the Ferrari engineers are trying to find a solution to the damage by increasing the power and thus obtaining an engine evolution to perform even more instead of simply repairing it.
»
“When you go up to 350 km/h, the engine is flat out, a grain of sand can break your car.
These are very, very fine parameters.
Until a new engine arrives, reliability will always be in question”, concludes Franck Montagny.
During the season, FIA regulations allow teams to use new engines only if a reliability or safety problem is discovered.
Ferrari have already made use of this point of regulation at the start of the season, even when they were leaders in the championship.
But since then, the reliability no longer seems to be there.
With 14 Grands Prix to go, the season is still long and Charles Leclerc has shown that his driving is on par with that of reigning world champion Max Verstappen.
"At Ferrari, everyone is working on the car at the moment," certifies Franck Montagny.
It remains to be seen whether the engineers' households will not overheat as much as the engine of their stable.
