Charles Leclerc Crashes Out Of Azerbaijan FP1

Charles Leclerc crashed out of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix's first practice session.

Nov 18, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Scuderia Ferrari driver Charles LeClerc of Monaco (16) celebrates after placing second in the Las Vegas Grand Prix at Las Vegas Strip Circuit. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc faced a dramatic end to his first practice session at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. With just over half an hour left on the clock, Leclerc took too much speed into Turn 15, resulting in a crash that caused significant damage to his car. Despite the incident, Leclerc reassured the team that he was unharmed over the radio, stating, "I took the dirt on the outside."

The crash occurred in a section of the track that has historically been challenging for Leclerc. Back in 2019, he previously experienced an off-track excursion in the castle section of the Baku circuit. This time, the misjudgment led to a 'panic lock up,' causing him to miss the apex of the corner and ultimately lose control. Sky Sports F1's Karun Chandhok analyzed the incident, commenting during the broadcast:

"It's like he just missed the apex. He took way too much speed. It was a 'panic lock up'.

"If you're going to crash at some point in the weekend, let it be FP1 when you have time to dial yourself in."

🔴 RED FLAG 🔴

Leclerc has crashed into the barriers! 💥

The quickest driver in practice so far will play no further part in the session. Driver is OK.

"I took the dirt on the outside." he reports back to Ferrari 📻#F1 #AzerbaijanGP pic.twitter.com/stNOHglFpP

— Formula 1 (@F1) September 13, 2024

Ferrari now has a couple of hours to make the necessary repairs for the Monegasque driver to take part in the second practice session later today.

This comes after Leclerc's monumental win at the Italian Grand Prix a couple of weeks ago in front of Ferrari's passionate home crowd. He is currently third in the Drivers' Standings with 217 points behind Max Verstappen and Lando Norris in first and second, with 303 and 241 points, respectively.

2024 F1 Drivers' Standings

1. Max Verstappen - 303 points
2. Lando Norris - 241 points
3. Charles Leclerc - 217 points
4. Oscar Piastri - 197 points
5. Carlos Sainz - 184 points
6. Lewis Hamilton - 164 points
7. Sergio Perez - 143 points
8. George Russell - 128 points
9. Fernando Alonso - 50 points
10. Lance Stroll - 24 points
11. Nico Hulkenberg - 22 points
12. Yuki Tsunoda - 22 points
13. Daniel Ricciardo - 12 points
14. Pierre Gasly - 8 points
15. Oliver Bearman - 6 points
16. Kevin Magnussen - 6 points
17. Alex Albon - 6 points
18. Esteban Ocon - 5 points
19. Zhou Guanyu - 0 points
20. Logan Sargeant - 0 points
21. Franco Colapinto - 0 points
22. Valtteri Bottas - 0 points