While disappointed, Charles Leclerc admits the situation could have been worse without the late Safety Car in Bahrain.
It was a near-perfect performance from the Monegasque as he recovered from a tough start from pole to pass Sebastian Vettel on track to reclaim the lead and pull out a comfortable margin.
Just as it appeared he would be cruising to a first Formula 1 win though, the ERS on his Ferrari power unit gave up losing him 40kph on the straights and allowing Lewis Hamilton to come through for the win.
“It happens. It is part of motorsport,” he told Sky Sports’ Martin Brundle back in Parc Ferme.
“Unfortunately today was not our day but I am confident the team has done an amazing job to recover the lack of pace of Australia.
“Of course I am extremely disappointed, like the whole team, but it happens during the season.”
Indeed, there was a tinge of relief mixed in with the frustration as Leclerc reveals he was very marginal on making the chequered flag.
“We have been lucky in a very unlucky situation,” he said.
“I’m happy to have the safety car at the end otherwise we would have finished even more rearward, and with fuel, I don’t think we could have been OK.”
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That was just a small positive in the sea of sadness, however.
“As I have said a lot in the past, I am never looking at the result, I am looking at the potential to do better,” he said. “Today, third was not our place.”
That point was clear to the main beneficiary Lewis Hamilton, who made it clear Leclerc was the real winner.
“This weekend Ferrari has been incredible,” said the world champion. “I’m sure it was a devastating result for him [Leclerc].
“We were definitely lucky today.
