Charles Leclerc is grappling with a difficult Canadian Grand Prix weekend, qualifying P8 and struggling to match his teammate. The Ferrari driver candidly reflects on the challenges encountered so far.
Charles Leclerc is enduring what he describes as the 'worst weekend of my career' in the lead-up to the Canadian Grand Prix. The Ferrari driver will start Sunday's race from P8 after a challenging qualifying session where he failed to keep pace with the front runners.
Throughout the weekend, Leclerc has struggled to match his teammate, Lewis Hamilton, who started ahead of him in the Sprint. Leclerc managed to finish P5, benefiting from Hamilton's loss of momentum in the final chicane after being overtaken by Oscar Piastri.
During qualifying, Leclerc's performance dipped further, finishing P8 and trailing polesitter George Russell by four tenths of a second. "Honestly, it's one, if not the worst weekend of my career," Leclerc admitted after qualifying. "Since FP1, I haven't had one lap where I could feel the car."
Leclerc explained that the car felt unstable, making him feel on the verge of crashing at every corner. He cited issues with tyre and brake performance, leaving him unable to find a rhythm. "The tyres were completely out of the window today. The brakes yesterday were not in the window as well," he noted, lamenting the lack of cohesion throughout the weekend.
Despite these challenges, Hamilton has managed to perform well, leaving Leclerc puzzled as to why he couldn't replicate his teammate's success in similar conditions. "It's strange but it's the situation I find myself in at the moment," said Leclerc. "We'll look into everything."
Currently, Leclerc sits third in the Drivers' Championship standings, having secured two podiums in the first four Grands Prix. His most disappointing result came in Miami, where he finished P8. As he reflects on the Canadian GP struggles, Leclerc remains determined to address the issues. "Surely I can do better things, but it just felt very off," he concluded.