'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Charles Leclerc started the Chinese GP in the third row and looked like a threat for a podium. However, he was unable to mend his way into the top three and when under threat of losing P4 to Max Verstappen, the Monegasque's communication broke down with his race engineer as he frustratedly told Bryan Bozzi to stop giving redundant messages.
The 27-year-old lost his front wing endplate on lap 1. This gave him 20 to 30 points loss of downforce on the front wing. Despite this, he was able to move past Lewis Hamilton as he showcased a stronger pace than the Briton.
Charles Leclerc then mounted a challenge for the podium on George Russell, remaining within the DRS range for multiple laps. However, the podium was not meant to be for him as the Mercedes W16 got a strong run out on the back straight, the main overtaking zone on the track.
Trending
On the other hand, Leclerc was then told to manage his tires as Ferrari moved to a one-stop strategy. With Hamilton pitting for a second stop, Max Verstappen was released and began a mission to get past the Monegasque.
The Dutchman had saved his tires and utilized its potential in the closing phase of the Grand Prix. Meanwhile, to help aid Leclerc in minimizing his time loss to Verstappen, his race engineer, Bryan Bozzi kept on giving him feedback to reduce the time deficit at turns 8 and 9.
Regardless of the feedback, the Ferrari driver was unable to stop the time loss and on lap 51, when Bozzi gave the same recommendations, Charles Leclerc exasperatedly came on the radio, and said:
"Yeah, I know, I know. You told me about 10 or 15 times already."
Leclerc was ultimately overtaken by Max Verstappen on the subsequent lap.
Charles Leclerc has remained unhappy with the Ferrari SF-25 all weekend long
While Leclerc finished the first practice session in second place, his pace seemingly dropped as the weekend progressed. He qualified fourth for the Sprint race and finished fifth in it.
The 27-year-old then qualified for the race in sixth, behind his seven-time champion teammate. Though he finished ahead of him at the chequered flag, Leclerc would not have hoped for the Chinese GP weekend to go down in such a way.
Moreover, when asked after the qualifying yesterday, he admitted that the SF-25 was unbalanced throughout the range of corners, and said (via Motorsport.com):
"You want a car that's balanced. At the moment, from one corner to the next, the car has a different balance. You just want a car that you can rely on. When you attack the corners, you know it's going to stay with you instead of lock up and go on or snap into oversteer and, when it's unpredictable, then you've got no hope."
Meanwhile, Oscar Piastri won the Chinese Grand Prix with Lando Norris coming home in P2 after a brake issue that haunted him towards the tail end of the race.
