This pitched him into the barrier, and despite his best efforts to get the car going again, he was unable to do so.
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur confirmed that the Leclerc’s failure to get away from the accident scene had been caused by “the same issue, the system switched off the hydraulic and engine”.
Vasseur clarified that the problem had not occurred this season: “No. At least not in the last 10 months! It was the first time.”
His non-start came after a string of disappointments over the course of a season that has seen him fail to win a race.
Vasseur believes “it would have been possible” for Leclerc to finish on the podium, and said the non-start was even more disappointing because the team had focused its efforts on Sunday’s main race. Team-mate Carlos Sainz finished sixth.
“For sure, it is very frustrating for Charles and for the team that also, strategically, another weekend we put all our effort on the long run to save tyres, so we had new tyres,” he said.
“We didn’t put new tyres on for the short one, we put everything on the long one, and we didn’t take the start.
“For sure, it’s frustrating. He was more than disappointed, but I am sure that he will be back, and we will be focussed on Vegas.”
He added: “Now, we have to stay calm to understand what has happened to avoid any issues in the future.
“I think the pace over the weekend was not that bad. We were in a good position today, and it is a missed opportunity because we were catching up with Mercedes a little bit over the weekend but with Charles on the front row with two sets of tyres, it could have been much better.
“We have still two attempts with Vegas and Abu Dhabi. Vegas could be a chaotic one and if we have the same pace as this weekend and Mercedes the same pace as this weekend, we have an opportunity.”
