Brundle: Leclerc crashes 'holding back' Ferrari team

Martin Brundle says Charles Leclerc must get rid of his costly mistakes as they are "holding back" both his Ferrari team and himself.

Leclerc's skills behind the wheel are awe-inspiring, and his ability to extract maximum performance from his car is a testament to his immense potential.

However, it is apparent that the Monegasque's frequent mistakes, exemplified by his crashes last weekend in Miami, are becoming a cause for concern.

Brundle believes that Leclerc's errors not only hinder his personal progress but also impede the overall performance of his team.

To fully unlock his potential and to allow Ferrari to compete without setbacks or avoidable errors, Leclerc must address and eradicate these mistakes insists the Sky F1 commentator.

"Ferrari are struggling for race pace and a distant fifth and seventh was a poor result for them," Brundle wrote in his Miami Grand Prix debrief column for Sky Sports.

"Leclerc must stop crashing his car, it’s holding him and the team back.

"There are always knock-on effects during a race weekend from those incidents, and he needed a new aero underfloor after the qualifying crash which may have contributed to the bouncing and issues he reported in the race.

"He is unbelievably fast and committed, and he can afford to trade a fraction of that to build a better race weekend, and so a better season.

"He must lead the team to higher things and not keep the repair shop so busy."

• Read also: Leclerc's race undermined by Ferrari car's 'inconsistencies'

Leclerc's mistake in Q3 saw the Ferrari charger start his race on Sunday from P7, which is where he also concluded his day, having failed to make any progress during the 57-lap event.

Brundle's Sky F1 colleague Jenson Button says judging Leclerc is "a tricky one".

The 2009 F1 world champion, perhaps more forgiving towards the Ferrari driver than Brundle, believes the five-time Grand Prix winner is guilty of "over-performing"

"It is a tricky one," said the 2009 F1 world champion in Miami.

"He probably does take more risk than most and he has even said that in qualifying, but he has also put it on pole position when we didn’t think they had a chance over the Red Bull, so it is a tricky one.

"We are always going to pick him up on what just happened. I like how he goes racing, I like how he puts everything on the line."

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