Charles Leclerc makes surprise prediction after 'very stupid' crash

Charles Leclerc does not feel he is on the back foot after missing most of Friday practice ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix.

Just 15 minutes into the opening session of the weekend, Leclerc collided with the barrier on the exit of Turn 3 after locking up and running across the grass.

The significance of the impact meant he cracked his chassis, ruling him out of the second practice session later in the day.

Leclerc issued an apology to the Ferrari squad as he described the “very stupid” incident from behind the wheel.

“First of well, I felt sorry for the whole team,” Leclerc said. “That's never something you want.

“It was a very stupid crash – I had a lock-up, I thought I would make the corner. 

“I knew I would go in the grass, but I thought that was enough to not touch the wall. 

“Unfortunately, when I then ended up in the grass, I understood that there was no room anymore.

“It’s just a misjudgment, but a misjudgment that cost a lot. The way the wheel has touched the chassis basically cracked the chassis, and we cannot use two chassis on the same day, so that meant basically the whole day not in the car.”

Leclerc has just nine laps to his name ahead of final practice and is playing catch-up to the rest of the field.

However, the Monegasque does not believe the lack of mileage will hurt his pace come qualifying on Saturday evening in Canada.

“That hurts because that obviously cost us quite a few laps today, but the very positive thing is that I felt very confident with the car,” he said.

“I think we were very competitive at that time, for whatever it’s worth, because it was only the third [push] lap of the day.

“It doesn’t hurt my confidence, and I’m sure that it won’t hurt my weekend at all.

“I’m sure I’ll be up to speed in Qualifying. How competitive we will be is another matter, and then we’ll have to see. But I’m sure that personally I’ll be 100 per cent.”