Ferrari says its initial investigation into the driveshaft failure that sidelined Charles Leclerc from Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix has concluded that the component was damaged in the Monegasque's qualifying crash.
Leclerc hit the outside barrier at the Swimming Pool complex in the dying seconds of qualifying on Saturday just after securing pole position, heavily damaging the right side of his SF21.
After the crash, the team feared that it would need to replace the car's gearbox, a change that would have dropped Leclerc five positions on the grid.
However, on Sunday morning the Scuderia gave the all-clear to the SF21's gearbox, but during Leclerc's pre-race reconnaissance lap to the grid, the left-rear driveshaft hub failed. And with no time to undertake a repair, the team was left with no other choice but to withdraw Leclerc from the race.
After the car was returned to its base in Maranello on Monday, Ferrari's inspection concluded that the SF21's driveshaft hub had indeed suffered collateral damage from Leclerc's impact with the barriers in qualifying.
While Ferrari's crews had closely analyzed all the elements on the right side of Leclerc's car, the left-rear driveshaft hub was not on the team's detailed list of parts that warranted an inspection, and even if it had been, the component would have showed no visible signs of damage.
Nevertheless, a spokesman for Ferrari has said that the team will revise its processes to ensure that any component damaged in similar circumstances does not go undetected the future.
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