Charles Leclerc faced technical issues and was unable to set a time in Sprint Qualifying. As the Formula 1 paddock arrived in Austria, a major title battle was forming between two drivers. Meanwhile, Ferrari was hoping for a better start after disappointing results in recent weekends. However, their hopes were dashed when Leclerc’s engine shut off at the pit lane exit during SQ3, eliminating him from the competition.
Ferrari had shown strength in practice and was poised for a solid performance in the sprint qualifying. They had advanced to SQ3 and aimed for a top three position. Unfortunately, an unexpected obstacle hindered their progress and hampered the team for the remainder of the session.
Upon leaving his pit box, Leclerc’s engine shut off, costing him valuable time. The incident occurred at the end of SQ3, preventing him from starting a lap and ultimately qualifying him in 10th place for the sprint race, with both rival cars ahead of him.
The 26-year-old driver expressed his frustration to the engineer, who attributed the problem to an anti-stall procedure. However, Leclerc was annoyed because his engine had completely shut off, which is not typical during an anti-stall incident. This setback prevented him from reaching the starting line on time and affected his performance in qualifying.
Ferrari not only faced issues with Leclerc’s car, but also had a challenging qualifying session with their other driver. Carlos Sainz struggled and barely managed to stay ahead of the second rival car. Sainz described the SF-24 as having oversteer and expressed his confusion about what happened during his lap.
After a disappointing performance in qualifying, Ferrari will be focused on minimizing the damage during the sprint race. Leclerc may lose points in the drivers’ championship to his rivals, as the team’s performance has decreased.
