Charles Leclerc was hilariously forgotten by the organisers of the Japanese Grand Prix, and replaced by last weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix winner Carlos Sainz.
Each driver has a banner of themselves above their side of the garage in the pit-lane; however, it was discovered on Reddit that Leclerc’s banner was seemingly absent.
The organisers of this weekend’s event had mistakenly put Sainz’s banner up twice, above both his and Leclerc’s side of the Ferrari garage.
Leclerc’s banner has since been put in place after the organisers discovered their comical error, perhaps they just can’t get over Sainz’s victory last Sunday.
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Sainz became the first non-Red Bull driver to win a race this season last weekend in Singapore, following a sensational display at the Marina Bay Circuit.
Since claiming pole position at the Italian Grand Prix, Sainz has carried a real sense of momentum with him, something which’ll be at an all-time high ahead of Suzuka.
The Spaniard defeated both George Russell and Leclerc to pole position last weekend, before converting pole into just his second victory in Formula 1.
Whilst his pace wasn’t the best, Sainz positioned his car perfectly, whilst he also had the tactical awareness to give Lando Norris behind him DRS, to help the McLaren driver defend from George Russell.
Had Russell overtaken Norris, then the Mercedes driver would’ve likely won the race, as the Silver Arrows boasted the best race pace during the night Grand Prix.
Leclerc on the other hand didn’t enjoy as good a race as his team-mate, after having to settle for fourth.
The Monegasque had gotten himself into second on the opening lap but lost significant ground during his pit-stop, where he had to wait for multiple cars to pass Ferrari’s garage before he could be released.
READ: Lewis Hamilton claims he would’ve sacrificed himself in George Russell’s position
Had Russell not crashed on the final lap then Leclerc would’ve finished fifth; however, the Mercedes driver’s accident promoted the Ferrari driver into P4.
The Maranello-based team certainly had to Suzuka with a new sense of genuine belief that progress is finally being made, following an underwhelming start to the season.
Red Bull are the favourites for victory this weekend, but there is no doubting that the Scuderia will at least be in the fight for the podium.