Charles Leclerc had one of the most frustrating Sundays during the Brazilian Grand Prix. While he did have a decent qualifying where he finished 2nd only behind Max Verstappen, he did not even get the opportunity to translate that qualifying performance into the race.
During the formation lap of the Brazilian Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc suffered a hydraulics failure which made his rear tires lock up. This sent him into the wall and out of the Grand Prix. Although he had a bit of hope after he got the car moving again, he was not able to travel much further as the problem arose again. Charles Leclerc was forced to retire the car even before the race had even started.
“I’m going to Los Angeles, but maybe I’ll move my flight to go to Lourdes beforehand – to get a bit of luck.”
🚨 | Charles Leclerc has suggested taking a religious trip to improve his luck.
See Leclerc’s reaction to a disappointing weekend in Brazil:https://t.co/9bKGmsjJVA
— formularacers (@formularacers_) November 6, 2023
The F1 teams and drivers will now be traveling back to the United States for the Las Vegas Grand Prix. However, since there is a 2-week gap between Brazil and Las Vegas, some of the drivers may choose to go on a short trip elsewhere. Charles Leclerc seems to be planning on going to Lourdes during this time.
Lourdes is a religious town in France that is home to one of the most visited Catholic Shrines in the world. Charles Leclerc was brought up a Catholic in Monaco which is just a few miles from France. Charles is hoping that his visit to Lourdes will give him a bit of luck in the next 2 races as Ferrari attempts to take 2nd place from Mercedes in the WCC.
The horrendous luck of Charles Leclerc in 2023
The 2023 season has not been the best for Charles Leclerc. He sits in 7th place with 170 points and still 22 points behind his teammate. Last season, Charles finished 2nd place in the WDC. Unfortunately, he will not be able to do the same this year.
From the start of the season, Charles Leclerc has had his string of bad luck. Ferrari has failed to build a reliable and consistent car for their drivers. At Bahrain, Charles had an engine failure that forced him to retire. In Saudi Arabia, they fell short of the strategy as Mercedes took advantage of the safety car. In Australia, Charles Leclerc had to retire after an opening lap incident.
Disappointed to say the least. Lost the power steering and the engine power on the formation lap. It hurts pic.twitter.com/J7kIESy3Do
— Charles Leclerc (@Charles_Leclerc) November 5, 2023
There have been several other incidents like this throughout the season. When Charles first made his way into F1, he was one of the most promising drivers. After just 1 season, he quickly made his way to Ferrari and started to win races for them. However, in 2020, Ferrari had built their most disappointing car ever.
During the 2022 season, the team had built a decent car which allowed Charles Leclerc to take an early lead in the WDC. However, Max Verstappen was able to beat Leclerc as the Ferrari suffered a number of reliability issues.
Based on the information above, it’s safe to say that Charles has had a tough time with Ferrari. Let us hope that he is able to turn this luck around after his religious trip to Lourdes.