Hamilton And Leclerc Call For Change 'To Serious Issue' That Can Have 'Big Consequences'

Monday, 26 February 2024 at 20:30

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc walking together through the paddock at one of the F1 circuits, with Red Bull hospitality and the FIA office in the background.

Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc reflected on the problem they both encountered during the morning session on the second day of pre-season testing in Bahrain.

The morning session on Thursday of the pre-season testing at Bahrain International Circuit was red-flagged and later canceled one hour earlier because of an issue similar to what we encountered last year in Las Vegas.

There was a loose drain cover on the curb ahead of the turn 11. Charles Leclerc first unlodged it, then Lewis Hamilton drove over it, and finally, the Ferrari driver ran over it again and damaged the floor of his car before the red flag was triggered.

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During the following press conference a day later on Friday, the Monegasque driver expressed his concern, saying it is a serious issue that could have big consequences. He said:

"It's a serious issue because it can have big consequences. We have to look into it for the future, for it to not happen again."

While Leclerc had to replace a floor on his SF-24, the damage was much less severe than the one on the car of his teammate Carlos Sainz in Las Vegas, who had to change the floor, power unit, and battery. Leclerc added:

"Yesterday, we were quite lucky that it didn't happen in a place and in a situation similar to Vegas, but in Vegas, it was quite serious for Carlos. But I'm sure everybody is on it, and working on finding the best solution for that."

The seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton was even luckier than the 26-year-old, as his car wasn't damaged at all. He told the media:

"Hopefully, the FIA are on top of it, welding these things well in advance before we get there. Fortunately, it wasn't like the bad one that Carlos [Sainz] hit, but we've definitely got to be on top of it."