What Happened to Charles Leclerc Today at the Miami Grand Prix?

Vidit Dhawan | 07/05/2023
What Happened to Charles Leclerc Today at the Miami Grand Prix?

Charles Leclerc had a disastrous Miami Grand Prix qualifying session as he could only qualify seventh on the grid. The horrific qualifying result for him comes just a week after he had an outstanding race weekend in Baku.

The Monegasque qualified on the pole in both Friday’s qualifying session and Saturday’s sprint qualifying session before finishing second in the sprint race and then third in the main race. Despite heading into this weekend on the back of such a strong performance, one mistake cost him dearly.

What happened to Charles Leclerc today in Miami GP qualifying?

Charles Leclerc had a strong Q1 and Q2 session and was looking good in Q3 before a mistake sent him straight into the wall. As a result of his crash, a red flag came out and no other driver was able to set a lap time.

Since Leclerc was not able to better his first run in Q3, he will start only seventh on the grid for Sunday’s main race. He will start just behind Mercedes’ George Russell and ahead of the Alpine of Esteban Ocon.

Miami GP qualifying comes to a premature end with Leclerc’s crash

The Miami Grand Prix qualifying session ended a minute and a half earlier of schedule after Charles Leclerc crashed into the wall and brought out a red flag. Race control decided to end Q3 early as there was not enough time for an outlap followed by a flying lap.

Since the top 10 drivers just registered one Q3 run, Sunday’s main race has a wild starting grid. Red Bull’s Sergio Perez starts on pole, with Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso joining him on the front row.

Carlos Sainz ended as the lead Ferrari in P3 after Leclerc crashed. The Spaniard will surprisingly be joined by Haas’ Kevin Magnussen on the second row. Meanwhile, Alpine’s Pierre Gasly is in fifth with Mercedes’ George Russell just behind him.

Further down, Leclerc’s crash in Q3 means that the Monegasque will only start seventh on the grid, just ahead of Alpine’s Esteban Ocon. Among all the starting grid positions, the biggest shocker was that of championship leader Max Verstappen.

The Dutchman will only start ninth after he made a mistake on the first run and had to abort his lap. Verstappen, who will start ahead of Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas, will hope for a good start to ensure that he can limit the damage in the main race, especially with his Red Bull teammate Perez starting on pole.

Post Edited By: Vidit Dhawan
Charles Leclerc

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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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