Charles Leclerc calls for Ferrari investigation: 'I would like to understand'

Charles Leclerc is curious to know why his Ferrari experienced a drop in performance between Saturday and Sunday at the Miami Grand Prix.

After finishing sixth on the road — but eighth after his post-race penalty — in Florida, the Monegasque driver expressed his desire "to understand exactly what happened" to his SF-26's evaporating pace.

The eight-time grand prix winner finished third in the sprint at the Miami International Autodrome, before securing third on the grid for the following day's main event.

However, after engaging in an entertaining three-way fight for the lead with Kimi Antonelli and Lando Norris through the opening stages of the 57-lap contest, his form began to ebb away, and he began falling into the clutches of those behind, primarily Oscar Piastri and George Russell.

The latter driver pitting early forced Ferrari into responding the following lap, and from there, Leclerc's afternoon in the Sunshine State capitulated, ultimately crescendoing with his chaotic — and costly — final lap whilst battling the former for the last spot on the podium.

But before the series of events that snowballed a promising result into a disappointing one, he was already starting to lose pace and slide out of touch with Norris and Antonelli ahead, rendering him unable to fight for victory.

Reflecting on the difficulties he faced, the 28-year-old told media, including RacingNews365: "Medium [tyre], we weren't strong; we were degrading a massive amount.

"On the hard, it wasn't great at the beginning, then it picked up, and then it was a little bit better. But it was never at the level of the sprint."

The Ferrari driver called on the Italian team to get to the bottom of the problems that plagued his race. He added: "We need to look at it.

"We've lost a lot of performance compared to then. And I would like to understand exactly what happened there."