Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc said the issues he faced with his SF-24 at the start of the Bahrain Grand Prix were making it “impossible” to drive.
Leclerc faced brake problems, with the team reporting over “100 degrees split” in temperature between his front left and right brakes, causing multiple lock-ups which were more prominent in the first half of the race as the Monegasque adapted.
“It was impossible in the first 15 laps, the issue was getting worse every lap,” Leclerc said after the race.
“Every time I would brake three meters earlier, but I would still lock up, then at lap 15 or 20, the issue stabilised.
“The team told me on the radio that it was more than 100 degrees split between [the] front right and front left [tires], which is huge.”
Leclerc admitted that after realized the magnitude of the problem, the best he could do was “bring the car home to the chequered flag” instead of racing harder and getting a podium finish.
However, the Ferrari driver recognized that he started to be “more consistent” when the problems eased as the Grand Prix advanced, allowing him a P4 finish behind teammate Carlos Sainz.
“To finish fourth is a really good effort,” he said. “But I’m very disappointed with the result. I honestly think that second place would have been very possible today.
“I had to change completely the brake balance, the engine braking to try and counter that front right brake that wasn’t working properly.”
Leclerc said he had never faced such brake issues with the VF-24 before.
“All in all, the pace was better than what I expected with an issue like this. However, to know exactly the real pace… it’s difficult.”
