Leclerc disappointed after retirement: 'I don't know what to say'

Charles Leclerc looked to maximise Sunday's win in Bahrain with a podium finish, but that didn't happen because of problems with his Ferrari engine. The Monegasque stalled and thus returns home pointless. He is frustrated at the problems and argues that Red Bull Racing will be hard to beat this year.

What exactly caused the problem with the power source? "I don't know. It's a shame but I don't know what to say. We didn't finish the race," Leclerc stated in conversation with Viaplay. "We knew we would be on the back foot in terms of performance compared to Red Bull but it's a shame it's like this."

The Ferrari driver continued: "I had a good start, then in second place for a few laps which was the best we could hope for. Then we got overtaken by Checo which was just a matter of time. They are in a league of their own in terms of speed. We couldn't challenge them but all of that doesn't matter because we didn't finish the race," said a heavily disappointed Leclerc.

Red Bull bizarrely strong on Sunday

At the Italian branch of Sky Sports, he foresees a tough season as the RB19 is SO fast. "In terms of race pace, we need to improve because we are sitting. They have obviously found something special. In qualifying, we are all close together, but in the race, they are often a second faster than us. They are really in a different category."