Anti-Stall Issue Costs Leclerc dear in Austrian Grand Prix Sprint Qualifying
Charles Leclerc’s Formula 1 weekend took a hit when an anti-stall problem on his Ferrari SF-24 forced him to miss setting a lap time in the Austrian Grand Prix sprint qualifying SQ3 session. This mishap meant the Monaco native was relegated to 10th place on the grid for the first of two races at the Red Bull Ring this weekend.
As the top 10 runners gathered at the end of the pitlane, Leclerc was unable to join the queue, his Ferrari’s engine cutting out due to the anti-stall issue. After getting his car restarted, he managed an out-lap, but by the time he was ready to start his flying lap, the session had already concluded.
Leclerc expressed his disappointment, despite feeling that Ferrari wasn’t at its strongest at the Austrian circuit. “I don’t know what happened,” he said, referring to the anti-stall and engine issue in the pits. “I was in the pitlane and I got the anti-stall and then everything switched off. The team told me that we will speak when I’ll be back in the garage, but obviously, I went straight from the car to here, so I don’t know.”
When asked about his potential pace in SQ3, Leclerc estimated that he could have done better than 10th, citing that his teammate Carlos Sainz finished fifth in the session. “We weren’t super strong, but definitely better than P10. So, it’s a bit disappointing. But, yeah, we’ll look at what happened and tomorrow we’ll try to have a good sprint race to try and come back to the front.”
Immediately after crossing the finish line, a frustrated Leclerc demanded answers from his Ferrari engineer Bryan Bozzi about the problem. Their exchange revealed the extent of the issue, with Leclerc emphasizing that the anti-stall had caused the engine to switch off, forcing him to restart the car.
With Max Verstappen claiming pole position for the sprint race, Leclerc will need to rely on a strong performance in the sprint race to claw his way back up the Formula 1 standings.
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