Leclerc spins into barrier on Barcelona Q3, earns 10th grid spot
During the third qualifying session at Barcelona, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc shed the rear of his car on the dustier line of Turn 4 and collided with the barrier on his first push lap, leaving him twelfth in Q3 and 10th on the Sunday grid.
Leclerc’s car lost grip on the back end as he released the brakes early; the issue had been flagged after a recent crash in Monaco, which saw him enter the race from a difficult position and eventually fall to second place on the grid.
The driver has not managed a podium since the Japanese Grand Prix in March and suffered a similar setback at his home Grands Prix in Monaco, where a brake‑problem‑inspired slip sent him to the back of the finishing order.
After the Monaco incident, Leclerc altered the car’s setup to match the configuration used by Lewis Hamilton, hoping to rectify the brake behaviour, but the adjustment produced little visible improvement and the car again struggled to stay on the edge of tyre life during the remainder of the weekend.
When asked if the braking set‑up contributed to the crash, Leclerc said he felt the car had behaved as it had in free practice, but that the overall lack of pace over the past three races had left him feeling “ashamed” and unable to deliver in the final chapter of the race weekend.
Meanwhile, Hamilton entered the race in second on the grid, a position that keeps him firmly ahead of Leclerc in the championship standings.
Leclerc reflected on the drive, saying “I thought we had addressed the weakness at Turn 4, but the car still fell back on us and I was unable to deliver on the clear lap I wanted. There are no excuses, only disappointment.”
In spite of the setback, the Ferrari driver remains optimistic about the remainder of the race, stating that the car feels “great” and that he intends to make the most of the remaining opportunity to close the points gap.
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