The race was over before it even started for Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc. The day had begun with a big sigh of relief from the Monegasque and his fans as the Scuderia gave the green light for his participation in the race, following his crash in the dying minutes of qualifying.

However, just before the start of the race, Leclerc’s Ferrari showed major signs of trouble, which led to him not even taking part in the Grand Prix. With a damaged driveshaft pinpointed as the chief troublemaker, the Prancing Horse all but confirmed that this was caused due to the aforementioned crash.

According to a report by Autosport, “the investigation in to the Leclerc problem has concluded that the failure was a consequence of the crash that the Monegasque suffered when he hit the barriers in Q3.”

What’s shocking is the fact that this wasn’t detected by the team at all. And that’s precisely what’s been bothering Ferrari and team boss Mattia Binotto. The inability to detect the damaged part and have it replaced in time cost Ferrari a potential race win in Monaco.

However, Carlos Sainz did manage to more than salvage the team’s day. The Spaniard scored his first podium with the team in red, thanks to his P2 finish. As for Leclerc, it was yet another home Grand Prix that ended in tears.

Charles Leclerc is yet to cross the finish line in Monaco

For every driver, a home Grand Prix is a special occasion. Unfortunately for the Monegasque, every time he has raced in Monaco during his F1 career, he has had bad memories.

Apart from his DNS this weekend, Charles’ F1 debut in Monaco ended with a brake disc failure that sent him into the back of Brandon Hartley’s Toro Rosso in 2018.

The next year, Leclerc had a stinker in qualifying and started the race in P15. He would then go on to crash and spin in the race and had to retire with a damaged floor.

This year there was some joy at least. He became the first Monegasque since Louis Chiron to take home pole position at this iconic venue. It is a pity he couldn’t take part in the race. Hopefully, his luck will change by the time the F1 circus comes to these shores in 2022.

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