'Got scared': F1 ace crashes historic car in embarrassing blunder

Formula One championship leader Charles Leclerc has walked away red-faced after an ambarrassing moment behind the wheel of a priceless Ferrari last weekend.

Leclerc has been the leading F1 driver so far this season, winning two of the first three grands prix and missing the podium just once in a sensational start for the season alongside Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz.

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With a break between F1 first visit to Miami and the upcoming Spanish GP this weekend, Leclerc returned to his home in Monaco to take part in the 2022 Monaco Historic event.

The event sees many legendary F1 cars from years gone by once again take to one of the sport's most famous circuits, with Leclerc charged with piloting F1 legend Niki Lauda's 1974 Ferrari.

Unfortunately for Leclerc, an issue with the brakes sent him spinning into the barriers at the penultimate Rascasse corner, resulting in danage to the rear wing.

It would have been a miserable trip all the way back to the pit lane for Leclerc, who appeared mortified in the cockpit after the unfortuanate spin.

“When you thought you already had all the bad luck of the world in Monaco and you lose the brakes into Rascasse with one of the most iconic historical Ferrari Formula 1 cars,” Leclerc wrote on Twitter afterwards.

Leclerc memorably took pole position in Monaco last season, only to suffer a heavy crash on his second flying lap which caused him to miss the race the next day.

The 24-year-old later admitted it was fortunate the problem came up in one of the lowest speed areas of the track.

He was overheard telling ex-Ferrari driver Jacky Ickx what had happened.

“I lost the brakes. I lost the brakes!" he said, according to Autosport.

“I braked, the pedal was hard, and it went to the floor.

“I was lucky to have it at that moment, because if I had had it at another place, it was no good… the problem is that I got scared. I arrived normally in the corner.”

Formula One not dropping Monaco despite speculation

The future of F1 in Monaco has been heavily debated this season, with F1 leaders announcing a new race next season in Las Vegas which will likely result in an existing race being dropped from the calendar.

The Monaco GP has been speculated as one race at risk of disappearing from the F1 calendar, with the winding streets of the principality lending themselves only to a near-decade of processional races thanks to the much larger modern cars find it all but impossible to overtake.

The Monaco GP has been historically been viewed as such a prestige event that it was not required to pay a hosting fee for races, however that arrangement has been ended by F1's new owners Liberty Media.

F1’s chief executive, Stefano Domenicali, warned the “pedigree” of a race would not determine its place on the schedule and indicated that a rotating schedule of races could be on the cards.

The Monaco Grand Prix is one of racing's most historic events and was first held around the streets of the principality in 1929.

The president of the race's organising committee has dismissed speculation that Monaco could be left off the F1 schedule after 2022.

“I want to allude to what we have read in the press, where difficulties are mentioned after this 2022 edition, that is to say from next year, to continue organising Grands Prix,” Michel Boeri said.

“It was understood that Liberty Media’s asking prices were too excessive for Monaco, and that the Grand Prix would no longer be done.

"It’s wrong. We are still in discussions with them and we must now put them in concrete by signing a contract.

"I can guarantee you that after 2022, the Grand Prix will continue to take place. I don’t know if the contract will be for three or five years, but that’s a detail.”

Monaco will this year fall in line with the rest of Formula 1’s events by holding its practice sessions on a Friday.

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