Formula 1 Monaco GP
Leclerc to start Monaco GP from pole after Ferrari gearbox check
Charles Leclerc will start from pole position for Formula 1's Monaco Grand Prix after Ferrari gave the all-clear to his gearbox on Sunday morning.
Jonathan Noble
Edited: May 23, 2021, 12:19 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
The Monegasque driver had faced an anxious wait overnight to see whether or not his gearbox would need replacing following his Q3 crash.
Had he needed a new gearbox fitted, it would have meant a five-place grid drop, handing pole position to Max Verstappen.
Ferrari gave the gearbox a quick inspection on Saturday evening before parc ferme restrictions began, and were satisfied that it had suffered no serious damage in the impact with the barriers at the end of qualifying.
However, it wanted to hold fire until more detailed checks had taken place on Sunday morning to see whether or not there was a risk of it failing.
That evaluation concluded that the gearbox had escaped unscathed from the impact with the barriers, and that means Leclerc will be able to take up his pole slot.
A statement from Ferrari said: "Following further in-depth checks this morning, no apparent defects were found on Charles Leclerc's gearbox.
"Therefore, the Monegasque driver will start today's race from pole position, as per the qualifying result."
Read Also:
- Ferrari: ‘Extreme’ qualifying focus paid off with Monaco pole
- Why Leclerc crash conspiracy theories make no sense
Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto had been clear after qualifying that the team would not take a gamble on pushing on with the gearbox if it felt there was a risk of it failing in the race.
The team is locked in a tight battle for third place in the constructors' championship with McLaren, and is just five points behind its Woking rival.
Speaking about Ferrari's views on the gearbox situation before the checks were complete, Binotto had said: "No, we will not gamble,
"I think for us what's important after such a qualy 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."
Confirmation of Leclerc taking up his pole position slot means that Verstappen will start from second place on the grid for Red Bull, ahead of Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas and Ferrari's Carlos Sainz.
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Schumacher’s Haas F1 chassis all clear despite $500,000 shunt
Next article Archive: Monaco's magic F1 moments as told by the stars
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Jonathan Noble
Brundle awarded OBE in King’s New Year’s honours
Formula 1
Formula 1
Brundle awarded OBE in King’s New Year’s honours
The new rules dilemma that will define the 2025 F1 season
Formula 1
Formula 1
The new rules dilemma that will define the 2025 F1 season
Verstappen issues Red Bull title warning in push for RB21 progress
Formula 1
Formula 1
Australian GP
Verstappen issues Red Bull title warning in push for RB21 progress
More from
Charles Leclerc
Charles Leclerc admits he missed a chance against Max Verstappen – but not the obvious one
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
16 h
Charles Leclerc admits he missed a chance against Max Verstappen – but not the obvious one
Why Charles Leclerc failed to outbrake Max Verstappen in Turn 1 at Singapore GP
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
22 h
Why Charles Leclerc failed to outbrake Max Verstappen in Turn 1 at Singapore GP
More from
Ferrari
Why Ferrari caved in to Lewis Hamilton’s failed Singapore F1 gamble
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
Why Ferrari caved in to Lewis Hamilton’s failed Singapore F1 gamble
Lewis Hamilton takes blame for poor Singapore GP strategy
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
Lewis Hamilton takes blame for poor Singapore GP strategy
Latest news
WSJ Report: NASCAR is building 80+ race cars for Days of Thunder sequel
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup 1 h
WSJ Report: NASCAR is building 80+ race cars for Days of Thunder sequel
Brennan Poole to leave Alpha Prime Racing; team owners 'disappointed' to see him go
NASCAR O'Reilly
NOAP NASCAR O'Reilly
Charlotte II
11 h
Brennan Poole to leave Alpha Prime Racing; team owners 'disappointed' to see him go
Oscar Piastri on his Singapore puncture: “Ironically, it probably helped”
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Singapore GP
12 h
Oscar Piastri on his Singapore puncture: “Ironically, it probably helped”
Winners and losers from NASCAR Cup at Charlotte after dramatic finish
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Charlotte II
15 h
Winners and losers from NASCAR Cup at Charlotte after dramatic finish
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe