“Clearly We Made a Mistake”: Fred Vasseur Explains How Ferrari Cost Charles Leclerc a Potential Podium in Monaco

Vidit Dhawan | 30/05/2023
"Clearly We Made a Mistake": Fred Vasseur Explains How Ferrari Cost Charles Leclerc a Potential Podium in Monaco

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has opened up on the mistake that his side made this past weekend at the Monaco Grand Prix that cost Charles Leclerc dearly. Because of a miscommunication with his race engineer, the Monegasque suffered a three-place grid penalty for impeding McLaren’s Lando Norris.

Speaking of the same, the French team principal told Motorsport Italy, “Clearly we made a mistake on Saturday that cost us a lot because I think starting from third position our race could have been a different one. We have to learn from what happened“.

Vasseur ended his remarks by stating that he did not discuss the same with the team on Saturday night as he wanted his side’s focus to be completely on the race. Ferrari’s poor form also carried over to the race as Leclerc just managed to finish sixth while his teammate Carlos Sainz finished eighth.

What happened between Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris?

During the Monaco Grand Prix qualifying this past Saturday, Charles Leclerc impeded Lando Norris in the tunnel. Since his move compromised the Briton, the stewards handed Leclerc a three-place grid penalty that dropped him down from third to sixth on the grid for the main race.

The stewards deemed that a three-place grid penalty was fair because even though they believe Leclerc was at fault, his Ferrari team had also not given him “any warning about Norris’ approach” until the Briton was already directly behind him. With the Ferrari team repeatedly making mistakes, Leclerc’s race engineer Xavi has been under the pump recently.

Norris joked Leclerc should have been ‘disqualified‘ for this incident

While Lando Norris was unsurprisingly upset about Charles Leclerc blocking him, he hilariously exaggerated his annoyance in his post-qualifying interview. The Briton began his remarks by stating that he believes that the Monegasque deserves a penalty for the incident without a doubt.

When asked what kind of penalty, Norris hilariously replied, “I do not know. Disqualified or something”. The McLaren driver did not finish joking just there yet as after qualifying was over, he also took to Twitter and called the moment between him and Leclerc as just an ‘inchident‘.

Post Edited By: Samriddhi Jaiswal
Charles Leclerc Fred Vasseur

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Vidit Dhawan

Vidit Dhawan, a Formula 1 Editor at The SportsRush, is intrinsically connected with everything around the sport — from the engine roar, the cacophony on the grandstands to the action. He fell in love with F1 during the inaugural Indian GP in 2011. After more than a decade of deep engagement with the sport, Vidit insists he will remain a lifelong fan of Fernando Alonso, and sees the future of F1 in Charles Leclerc. A sports fanatic from childhood, he discovered his passion for writing while pursuing a bachelor's degree in international and global studies. Vidit has written over 1,700 articles, ranging from news reports to opinions. He thrives covering live action, and loves to dig into the contrasting personalities in the F1 bandwagon and narrate their journey in life as well as the sport. Vidit also follows tennis and football, enjoys playing as well as coaching chess.

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