Charles Leclerc, the driver for Ferrari, encountered a problem with his front right brake during the opening race of the 2024 Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix. Leclerc initially held the second position but was surpassed by George Russell from Mercedes and later by his own teammate Carlos Sainz on two separate occasions. Despite managing to regain the lead from Russell and finish fourth, Leclerc struggled throughout the race, finishing 14 seconds behind Sainz. The issue with his brakes made it impossible for Leclerc to properly slow down during certain turns, particularly at Turn 10. Leclerc suspects that he could have achieved a second-place finish if his brakes were functioning properly. However, he is unable to determine the exact cause of the problem. Leclerc also believes that overtaking Russell would have been challenging even if the Mercedes driver hadn’t made a mistake and run off the track at Turn 10, due to his brake issues.
Ferrari has announced a complete overhaul of its SF-24 car in order to ensure that its drivers can maintain a competitive pace throughout a race stint. Leclerc is confident that the team’s performance as the second-quickest in Bahrain demonstrates that they have resolved their tire degradation issues from last season.
Reflecting on his race, Leclerc stated that there was nothing noteworthy to take away. Despite facing challenges with the car, including changes to the brake balance and engine braking, he was surprised by the relatively good lap times they were able to achieve. However, determining the true pace of the car remains difficult.
While Sainz finished within five seconds of Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, Max Verstappen dominated the race, leading every lap and securing a 22-second victory. Leclerc admitted that Red Bull’s lead was as expected, and he was optimistic about putting pressure on Verstappen until his own issue arose.
Looking ahead to the next race in Jeddah, Leclerc acknowledged the need to wait and see if the gap between Max and Ferrari remains the same or grows larger. He also emphasized the significant impact of the issue he faced, which forced him to adjust his driving style and sacrifice braking points. Despite this setback, Leclerc believes there was still a considerable amount of performance in the car, although it is challenging to quantify.