Red Bull on 'another planet' with Leclerc unsure of retirement cause
Monday, 6 March 2023
The team dominated the opening round of the season.
Charles Leclerc believes Red Bull are on "another planet" to their Formula 1® rivals after they dominated the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen's title defence got off to a comfortable start with a victory on Sunday, with his team-mate Sergio Perez second and Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso in third.
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Leclerc looked on course for a podium finish for Ferrari, but an engine failure led to his retirement.
The issue came despite Ferrari changing a component ahead of the race, one of only two permitted alterations allowed throughout the season, which could lead to further pain for the Scuderia in future races.
While the cause of the problem was unknown to Leclerc, he made it clear the team must secure as many points as possible to keep Red Bull in sight.
"I have no idea what happened to the car when I lost the power, the only thing I know is that I did, I don't know for what reason," he told Sky Sports F1.
"I don't know if it is related to the change we had this morning, so I don't want to comment on that, but it is a shame.
"We expected to be on the back foot this weekend, especially in the race to Red Bull. That team is on another planet right now.
"But that's what exactly why most weekends we need to make sure we bring maximum points possible home and we didn't manage to do so."
💔😔
— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) March 5, 2023
