Leclerc started the race in Bahrain in second position on the grid, but quickly began to drop down the standings, visibly struggling with the brakes on his SF-24 and experiencing lock-ups along the way.
Later, Ferrari revealed that SF-24 #16 was affected by a significant temperature difference of 100 degrees between the front left and right brakes.
Jock Clear, the performance engineer for the Italian Formula 1 team, faced questions from the media in Jeddah on Thursday about the brake issues, especially in light of the revelation that Carlos Sainz, in addition to battling an illness, was also dealing with possible brake-related problems.
“We are currently conducting an investigation,” Clear responded when asked if Ferrari had found a solution to the problem. “Obviously, we had limited time between now and last week, as the factory is quite far away.
“So we conducted as thorough an investigation as possible and, with the help of Brembo, essentially solved the problem. We arrived here and did not anticipate any specific problems. So, I believe we can close this matter,” he stated.
When asked if Sainz’s issue was related to what Leclerc experienced in Bahrain, Clear did not give a direct answer.
“Well, not exactly related,” he stated. “And, to be honest, we have not completely resolved the problem or fully identified it.
“However, we are confident that the changes we have made for this weekend will ensure it will not be a problem,” concluded the Ferrari engineer.
Given the consecutive race weekends in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, it is understandable that Ferrari has not been able to fully analyze the brake issue. However, their insistence that this will not happen at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, while also acknowledging that they have not fully identified it, raises some questions.
