Leclerc describes ‘one of the most difficult races of my career’ after painful run to P14 at Silverstone

Charles Leclerc admitted he “struggled like crazy” from the first lap to the last of Sunday’s British Grand Prix, which he ended in a lowly 14th position.

Leclerc was one of a handful of drivers to pit at the end of the formation lap and swap intermediate tyres for slicks, but could not make much progress in the still slippery, cool conditions.

As the race progressed, with more rain forcing a switch back to intermediates, before conditions cleared up, Leclerc’s woes continued – the Monegasque ultimately crossing the line in 14th position after a late off through the high-speed Maggotts/Becketts complex.

Asked to sum up his afternoon, Leclerc sighed: “One of the most difficult races for me, if not the most difficult race of my career. I just struggled to keep the car on track from the first lap to the last lap.

“I don’t know from where it’s coming from. I’ll obviously look at the data. I kind of have an idea; it might be because of the set-up that I’m choosing at the moment, which is quite extreme.

“I really struggle to believe that set-up makes such a difference. I think there’s something that we’ve got to look at.”

Asked where he and Ferrari go from here, and how they reset before the next round in Belgium, Leclerc simply stated: “First by analysing and understanding what went on today. I struggled like crazy…”

Leclerc’s team mate, Lewis Hamilton, enjoyed a stronger race en route to fourth place, narrowly missing out on another home podium to the high-flying Kick Sauber of Nico Hulkenberg.