Charles Leclerc: “It’s quite clear from the cockpit”

Charles Leclerc will still have to (provisionally?) wait to get on the highest step of the podium in F1. The pilot Ferrari, who started from pole position this Sunday in Austria, led the race vigorously, before losing in the final laps to the rise of Max Verstappen (Red Bull).

The Dutchman twice attempted an overtaking maneuver at turn 3, completing his maneuver on the second try, going so far as to send the Monegasque out of bounds. Race stewards have placed the incident under investigation, leaving the outcome of the Austrian Grand Prix still up in the air.

Before the final decision, Leclerc did not hesitate to give his opinion on the matter in the wake of the checkered flag. “The whole race went well, then I had more degradation than I expected, indicates the Ferrari driver.

Max then returned. On the incident, I will let the stewards decide, but for me it is quite clear from the cockpit. I don't know from the outside, so... I was on the outside like the previous round.

There, Max had left space for a car outside, but he didn't go around it afterwards. We touched each other, I had to go wide and I no longer had a chance to counterattack. It's a shame. »

Just after the podium, Leclerc admitted to French-speaking television that he was clearly “annoyed” but wanted to review the incident from the outside to provide more comments.

For his part, Mattia Binotto, head of Ferrari Sports Management, clarified that “the rules are clear. This is a case where a collision was caused and a driver forced to veer off course. There are no doubts. »

Drivers, teams, but also the immense “Oranje Army” who came to support Max Verstappen are now awaiting the decision of the commissioners.

Discover the full report and analysis of the Austrian Grand Prix, produced by our special correspondents in Spielberg, in issue 2223 of AUTOhebdo, available tomorrow evening in digital version and this Wednesday on newsstands.