Leclerc: Ferrari one second off Red Bull pace before Bahrain GP retirement

Charles Leclerc estimated Ferrari was one second per lap slower than Red Bull before a mechanical retirement saw him fail to finish the 2023 Formula 1 opener in Bahrain.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-23

Leclerc was running a lonely third place in the Bahrain Grand Prix behind the dominant Red Bull duo, as Max Verstappen went on to lead a 1-2 in the opener, until his Ferrari engine lost power and forced him out of the race on lap 40.

Speaking immediately after the race, Leclerc didn't know the cause of his retirement from the race but was already frustrated by Ferrari's pace deficit to Red Bull which he estimated to be one second per lap.

"I cannot say it feels good," said Leclerc, who had his Ferrari's energy store in the power unit changed before the race.

"Obviously, there was quite a lot of work on that [over the winter] but we need to keep working because obviously first race and first reliability problem were not good. 

PLUS: The critical Red Bull tyre tactic Ferrari couldn't copy in Bahrain GP

"I was as confident as I could be, being one second off of the pace, which is not really confident, to be honest.

"Red Bull seems to have found something really big in their race pace.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-23, Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB19

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-23, Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB19

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

"In terms of quali pace, they are actually pretty similar to us, at least we managed to extract the lap time yesterday, but then we come to the race and we are one second a lap off the pace which was huge.

"So we need to look into that plus the reliability."

Read Also:

Leclerc felt he could have held on to third place without the engine issue, the place going to Fernando Alonso, who beat Carlos Sainz and both Mercedes drivers to the final spot on the podium.

Leclerc did acknowledge the new threat from Aston Martin is present.

"They seem to be quick," Leclerc said about Aston Martin. "I think today third place was possible, I had a bit of margin with the guys behind and I was managing well in that last stint.

"But they were starting also a bit further back, so I don't know. Bahrain is also a very specific track so I hope that the picture can change a little bit for the next race, but we cannot rely on that as we need to work and find something."

shares
comments

Related video

Alonso hails "unreal" Bahrain GP F1 podium on Aston Martin debut

Verstappen credits victory to dominant F1 Bahrain GP start

The factors for and against a Red Bull upset in F1’s Monaco GP

The factors for and against a Red Bull upset in F1’s Monaco GP

Plus
Plus
Formula 1
Monaco GP
Alex Kalinauckas

The factors for and against a Red Bull upset in F1’s Monaco GP The factors for and against a Red Bull upset in F1’s Monaco GP

What Aston Martin's Honda deal reveals about its true F1 mindset

What Aston Martin's Honda deal reveals about its true F1 mindset

Plus
Plus
Formula 1
Jonathan Noble

What Aston Martin's Honda deal reveals about its true F1 mindset What Aston Martin's Honda deal reveals about its true F1 mindset

Would Hamilton really be a worthwhile F1 investment for Ferrari?

Would Hamilton really be a worthwhile F1 investment for Ferrari?

Plus
Plus
Formula 1
Monaco GP
Matt Kew

Would Hamilton really be a worthwhile F1 investment for Ferrari? Would Hamilton really be a worthwhile F1 investment for Ferrari?

Why the growing pains of F1’s cost-cap era require patience

Why the growing pains of F1’s cost-cap era require patience

Plus
Plus
Formula 1
Jake Boxall-Legge

Why the growing pains of F1’s cost-cap era require patience Why the growing pains of F1’s cost-cap era require patience

Has F1 gone too far with its sprint race format tweaks?

Has F1 gone too far with its sprint race format tweaks?

Plus
Plus
Formula 1
GP Racing

Has F1 gone too far with its sprint race format tweaks? Has F1 gone too far with its sprint race format tweaks?

The crucial next steps for McLaren on its path to F1 recovery

The crucial next steps for McLaren on its path to F1 recovery

Plus
Plus
Formula 1
Alex Kalinuackas

The crucial next steps for McLaren on its path to F1 recovery The crucial next steps for McLaren on its path to F1 recovery

The bigger answer Mercedes needs from its now delayed F1 upgrades

The bigger answer Mercedes needs from its now delayed F1 upgrades

Plus
Plus
Formula 1
Jonathan Noble

The bigger answer Mercedes needs from its now delayed F1 upgrades The bigger answer Mercedes needs from its now delayed F1 upgrades

What the lessons of 2013’s mid-year tyre change mean for F1 2023's dominant team

What the lessons of 2013’s mid-year tyre change mean for F1 2023's dominant team

Plus
Plus
Formula 1
Emilia Romagna GP
Alex Kalinuackas

What the lessons of 2013’s mid-year tyre change mean for F1 2023's dominant team What the lessons of 2013’s mid-year tyre change mean for F1 2023's dominant team

Subscribe