Leclerc and Ferrari hit hard by latest ‘significant’ setback

Charles Leclerc could be forgiven for wondering what precisely he has done to deserve such a miserly return on his mastery in Saturday qualifying in the Formula One world championship.

After his second win of the season back in Australia in April things were looking good – he was 46 points ahead of world champion Max Verstappen in the drivers’ title race and at the wheel of a car that was clearly a decent performer.

Yet fast forward two months, four poles, two DNFs, and 40 points is the paltry return the master of qualifying has ended up with since Melbourne to leave him trailing now in third in the championship, 34 points off the lead held by Red Bull’s Verstappen.

After Sunday’s latest disaster he, teammate Carlos Sainz and Ferrari are set for another autopsy, just like the one they held afer Monaco, or Spain.

Leclerc had seemed happy about the outcome of the Monaco review into how he ended up missing out on the win from pole which counts for so much at a track where overtaking is so difficult.

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