Ferrari "will not gamble" on Leclerc's gearbox despite Monaco GP pole By: Luke Smith Co-author: Adam Cooper May 22, 2021, 11:43 AM Ferrari "will not gamble" on Charles Leclerc's gearbox despite his shock Formula 1 pole in Monaco as it waits to find out the extent of the damage to his car. Although Leclerc was pleased to have secured pole, both he and the Ferrari team were left sweating on the condition of his car and gearbox, fearing it could trigger a grid penalty. Ferrari F1 boss Mattia Binotto made clear the team would not take any risks with Leclerc’s gearbox, stressing the importance of maximising its points haul in Monaco. “No, we will not gamble,” Binotto said following qualifying in Monaco. “I think for us what's important after such a quali is to try to maximise the number of points for the championship, and obviously to maximise we need to finish the race. “So reliability is key, reliability remains the priority. If we have any doubts, we will certainly change and fix it.” Should Leclerc’s car require a new gearbox, it would result in a five-place grid drop that would relegate him to sixth place on the grid. Binotto thought that Ferrari would have clarity on the condition of the gearbox and the chassis “within a couple of hours”, with a decision on any changes set to be taken tonight. The result marked Ferrari’s first pole since the 2019 Mexican Grand Prix - scored by Leclerc - and came after a surprising upswing in form through the Monaco weekend so far. But Binotto said after the session that there was a feeling of disappointment in the team due to Leclerc’s crash and the fact that Carlos Sainz Jr only qualified fourth, having placed second in all three practice sessions. “It's always a shame crashing a car,” Binotto said. “[We are] disappointed as well, the entire team was more disappointed not for the crash, certainly not for the pole, because we believe that Carlos could have done better overall and we felt that could have been the case. https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/ferrari-will-not-gamble-on-leclercs-gearbox-despite-pole/6513526/
Slight OT Pourchaire just won the main F2 race. He is just 17 years old. Quite impressive I would say.
Yes, probably would have improved if he did his second run in Q3. I like he is starting next to Hamilton.
From another forum: “Ferrari initial check: no major damage to gearbox. A final decision will be made tomorrow.”
Since there is no serious damage, that car better start on P1 tomorrow even if one gear would be missing
It’s going to be tough; pit strategy will be critical if close (I.e., if Charles doesn’t run and hide from Max) because whoever executes the undercut first will be advantaged and that’s probably going to be the guy in second place or further back. Also, pretty sure they will all jump into the pits at the the hint of a safety car to do their one tire stop.
Well. What a pleasant surprise...a pole won on the merits of the car and the driver. Hard fought...and won. The only negative is if the team throws it away by changing the gearbox. The penalty itself in absurd...this is not Consumer Reports...this is F1. It you don't break something, you aren't trying hard enough. And it is the brave new world technology that makes the gearbox so vulnerable. And shame on the team leadership if they are too gutless and afraid to try for victory from the pole. I would rather see the car lead and dominate...even if the box fails later and they dnf...then to see them come in 5th because they were afraid to fight.
At this point, we don't know if the gearbox still works at all, so it's a bit premature to gamble about not changing it. That assesment can only be done after a thorough inspection. As for taking the start with a damaged gearbox and anticipating a DNF, that's not how a team should work. There is no point showboating for a few laps, and miss points crucial for the WCC.
Max’s Go To move in the first 3 out of 4 races has been a suicide pass into the first corner. Lewis has been smart enough to let him go and beat him later in the race. With Ferrari desperate for a win, what will happen when Max makes his Kamikaze dive bomb move in the first corner? Will Charles let him go or risk taking out both cars in the first corner? Lewis and Max have developed a dance over this issue, tomorrow will be interesting to see what happens with a new dance partner, I don’t see Max changing his signature move.
“A race is not won in the first lap....surely Max knows this” He doesn’t, he has given Lewis the choice between backing off or crashing in the first corner over the last 3 races. I hope Charles is smart enough to know this about Max