Ferrari CEO Louis Camilleri has promised the team will take action to avoid a repeat of Charles Leclerc’s Q1 exit in Monaco.
The hometown favourite was kept in the garage by the Scuderia under the assumption he was safely into Q2 only for teammate Sebastian Vettel to knock him out with the final flying lap.
A frustrated Leclerc started 15th and in a bold attempt to recover through the field, collided with Nico Hulkenberg at Rascasse causing a race-ending puncture.
“We sincerely apologise to him [Leclerc],” Camilleri was quoted by GPFans.
“The bottom line is that this type of incident cannot happen again. Unfortunately, these are things that can happen, as long as they do not happen again.
“It was a mistake on the part of the team and we understood it. Now we have to forget what happened and do everything we can to close the gap on Mercedes.”
Also Read:
- Brawn: Leclerc’s Monaco reaction ‘understandable’ but ‘impetuous’
- Hulkenberg slams ‘impatient’ Leclerc after Rascasse clash
- ‘Constant communication’ makes Leclerc Q1 error unlikely at Mercedes
After the race, Italian media suggested the Monegasque had ignored Ferrari’s suggestion of a conservative approach to score points as a “revolt” for the various incidents this season.
However, team boss Mattia Binotto insists he had no problem with how Leclerc raced.
“Charles had a strong start, knowing that he’d have to fight his way up the order after his race was compromised by what happened in qualifying,” Binotto told Motorsport Week.
“It was a good getaway, but being aggressive always carries a risk,” he said.
“He pulled off some nice passing moves, but on his last one, maybe he tried just a bit too hard.
“But that’s the right attitude. He proved that he is not the sort to ever give up or surrender.”