Carlos Sainz has questioned Charles Leclerc's recent decision to take part in the Historic Monaco Grand Prix, in which the Monegasque suffered an embarrassing crash. Leclerc was driving Niki Lauda's 1974 Ferrari 312B3 when he lost control of the car at La Rascasse and slid into the barriers, causing major damage to the rear. Ferrari subsequently stated on their social channels that Leclerc, who was unhurt in the incident, had encountered a brake problem. Leclerc's unfortunate moment prompted Sainz to question whether it was a good idea to compete in such events on the sidelines of the F1 World Championship.
Sainz wary of "risk" of driving historic cars
"I had the opportunity to [drive historic cars] in the past," Sainz told media including RacingNews365.com . "It always gives you a vision of what the sport [was like] a few years ago, a long time ago. "But I'm in two minds with it, because why would you risk it? You're in the middle of a championship-winning chance [with Ferrari]. Why would you risk having this situation like [what] happened to [Leclerc]? "Every time I jump in a classic F1 car, I have these things in my head. And if I'm jumping in a car, I'm going to push it, but then [a crash] can happen and leave you with other questions, so I don't know what to answer. It depends on feeling."
Leclerc's bad luck in Monaco
Leclerc has endured rotten luck in Monaco since making his first appearance there in GP2 back in 2017, when he took pole position and controlled the early stages of the Feature Race, only for a botched pit-stop to force him into retirement. His first Formula 1 outing at the track a year later also ended in disappointment, with a brake failure sending his Alfa Romeo into the back of Brendon Hartley's Toro Rosso. Leclerc's appearances for Ferrari have been similarly challenging; in 2019, he dropped out of qualifying in Q1 after a tyre mishap and suffered terminal crash damage in the race, while in 2021, he stormed to pole but hit the barriers on his final effort, causing gearbox damage that would prevent him from starting the main event. The Monaco Grand Prix was not held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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