Leclerc lost Hungary win due to mystery issue

Former FIA steward dissects Leclerc's sudden loss of pace in Hungarian GP

20:34, 10 Aug

byTobia Elia

Former FIA steward Johnny Herbert has tried to get to the bottom of the issues that suddenly plagued Charles Leclerc during the final stint of the Hungarian GP, forcing him to give up a podium finish after battling for the win for half the race.

After surprisingly securing his first pole position of the season in Hungary, edging out the two McLarens on his final Q3 attempt, Charles Leclerc suddenly saw his dreams of victory vanish like magic.

After expertly holding off Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris for the first 40 laps, the Monegasque driver inexplicably and suddenly faltered after his final pit stop, not only losing positions to the two McLaren drivers but also to George Russell, who capitalized to secure his sixth podium of the season.

It was the Mercedes driver himself who was the first to try to explain what happened, suggesting that Ferrari had raised the ride height by increasing tyre pressure to prevent excessive plank wear, which could have led to disqualification like in China.

Charles Leclerc in Hungarian GP press conference

Herbert offers his perspective on Leclerc's issues in Hungarian GP

When asked to analyze what happened to the Ferrari driver during the race, former FIA steward Johnny Herbert told a betting site: “In general, I’d say it has nothing to do with the tyres in terms of the quality of the sets — sometimes one set seems better than another, but those differences are almost imperceptible.''

''The only thing that really makes a difference on a ground-effect car when it comes to tyres is the pressure, because adjusting the pressure raises or lowers the car, which in turn changes how the floor works.''

''He finally added: ''The drop in performance was quite alarming — Leclerc was one of the slowest on track. They had talked about it and knew something was about to happen, but I can’t figure out what it was. Performance usually depends on the floor. Maybe he hit a kerb or something like that.”

With yet another pole position not converted into a victory, Leclerc holds an unfortunate record. Out of the 27 poles he has secured in his career so far, he has gone on to win the race only 5 times.