Charles Leclerc hints Ferrari car 'inconsistency' a factor in F1 Monaco GP qualifying crash

Charles Leclerc says a “combination of factors” were to blame for the crash that ruined his hopes of claiming another home Formula 1 pole position at the Monaco Grand Prix.

Ferrari were big favourites heading into qualifying after setting the pace on Friday but Mercedes hit back as Andrea Kimi Antonelli grabbed a sensational pole ahead of Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, who had to settle with third.

It was an ultimately disappointing qualifying on home soil for Leclerc, who had taken provisional pole prior to improvements from Antonelli, Verstappen and Ferrari team-mate Hamilton. In his attempts to improve, Leclerc crashed on his final lap of Q3.

“It’s a combination of factors. When it’s only on me, I say it without shame but today was probably a combination of factors,” Leclerc told Sky Sports F1.

“I think first of all, it’s a result of the last two weekends being particularly messy, with something specifically on my car that I’m really struggling with at the moment. I think we have the solution but I will have to try it in Barcelona and see if it’s getting better.

“But the consistency of the car at the moment is just extremely tricky. It was a big push in Q3 not really knowing where was the limit of the car and I overdid it.”

Leclerc slid wide on the entry to Tabac and thumped the wall, breaking his rear suspension. Providing he avoids any grid penalties for damage, Leclerc will go from the second row on Sunday.

The Monegasque has struggled with his brakes throughout the weekend in Monte Carlo, having also had issues at the Canadian Grand Prix, which he branded as being a “horrible” race.

“The feeling in the car is so important,” Leclerc explained. “I love this track, it’s my favourite track of the season.

‘Being fast is not enough on a track like this. You need to be confident. You need to know exactly how the car will react in order to place it exactly the way you want it to be placed and the whole weekend has been a challenge.

“I was getting on the brakes and I didn’t really know where I would end up in the corner. It’s been the same in Montreal and I just need to try the solution and see.”