The technical failure that forced Charles Leclerc out of the São Paulo Grand Prix before he could even start the race was only the latest in a long line of setbacks the Ferrari driver has faced this year.
After an electronics issue triggered a power unit shutdown, causing him to veer off into the barriers, a dejected Leclerc dubbed his 2023 campaign a “season to forget.”
“I don’t know what to do anymore,” he admitted, even going as far as suggesting he’s considering a pilgrimage to Lourdes in hopes of ending his disheartening run of bad luck. But how did Leclerc get to this point?
Photo credit: Scuderia Ferrari
While it’s been an unremarkable season for the Scuderia as a whole, it seems that between their two drivers, it’s Leclerc who’s got the short end of the stick.
Ferrari made a slow start to the season, having produced a capricious car that clearly lacked the speed to keep up with Red Bull, and even the likes of the much-improved McLaren and Aston Martin at several points during the 2023 campaign.
And yet, Leclerc’s season debut in Bahrain saw him start a strong third. Shortly before the race, the team opted to change the control electronics (CE) and energy store (ES) components on the Monégasque’s car, apparently as a precaution. Leclerc’s hopes of delivering a podium finish in the season opener fizzled out as a mechanical failure forced him out of the race on Lap 41.
The fallout from Bahrain spilled over into the following race weekend, where Ferrari confirmed Leclerc would take a 10-place grid penalty for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after his car was fitted with a third CE unit. He crossed the line seventh on Sunday, scoring his first points of the season.
After a strong weekend in Baku, where Leclerc secured Ferrari’s first pole and podium of the season, he faced yet another painful setback at his home race in Monaco. Having qualified a promising third, Leclerc was handed a three-place grid penalty for impeding McLaren’s Lando Norris. While the stewards acknowledged that the team was more at fault than the driver, Leclerc still found himself lining up sixth for the race on Sunday, where he had to shelve his hopes of a podium finish on home soil in favour of damage limitation.
Trouble followed the driver to the next round in Barcelona. In qualifying, Leclerc voiced concerns about the alarmingly poor handling of his SF-23, suspecting the car might have an issue. He subsequently suffered a shock Q1 elimination and was set to line up 19th on the grid; he ultimately started from the pit lane after Ferrari made changes to his car prior to the race.
The Scuderia vowed to thoroughly inspect the car to determine the cause of Leclerc’s qualifying woes, but the following race weekend he admitted that the team failed to find a cause for the SF-23’s troublesome handling in Spain.
The Hungarian Grand Prix proved to be a disappointment for Ferrari for the second year running, as they finished behind both Red Bulls, both McLarens, and both Mercedes cars.
Leclerc in particular endured an arduous afternoon. A wheel gun issue resulted in a lengthy 9.4-second stop, while a time penalty for speeding in the pit lane pushed him down to seventh place, behind George Russell. He later revealed that he was also struggling with radio communication issues and a lack of water from his onboard drink system (during one of the hottest European races).
Photo credit: Scuderia Ferrari
In Austin, Leclerc and Ferrari once again saw valuable points slip away, this time due to a curious post-race disqualification. The Monégasque delivered an impressive performance on US soil, taking pole on Friday, and securing a second-place finish in Saturday’s sprint. His strong showing was overshadowed by an unfavourable one-stop strategy in the main race on Sunday, which saw him finish sixth. Leclerc’s already frustrating afternoon was soured further when the FIA announced that he and Hamilton were disqualified from the race due to a technical infringement involving excessive floor plank wear.
The Monégasque’s race-ending issue on the formation lap in São Paulo effectively completed an undesirable trifecta, with Leclerc now having multiple DNFs, a DSQ and a DNS to his name. With only two races remaining, Leclerc will be hoping to close out the year on a positive note, especially as Ferrari is still chasing Mercedes for P2 in the Constructors’ standings.
