Charles Leclerc on overtaking Verstappen: “I didn’t expect him to have so much grip”

In the past, we have seen more intense battles between the two pilots. But this time in Miami, Max Verstappen managed to take the lead of the Grand Prix with almost disconcerting ease, following his overtake on Charles Leclerc on the ninth lap of the race. The two drivers returned to the action at a press conference shortly afterwards.

“Inside, it was a disaster”

It is true that Verstappen's maneuver did not seem the most complicated to carry out. In response, we expected a more offensive Charles Leclerc, but the Monegasque quickly found himself out of the driver's reach Red Bull. Enough to regret the perhaps too passive defense of the Ferrari.

“To be honest with the experience I had from the three free practice sessions, inside it was a disaster, the grip on Friday and Saturday, explains Charles Leclerc. So, I didn't expect Max to have that much grip. But actually, I think it was much better for the race.

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Looking back at the race you can always do something better, but I thought at that moment it was the right thing to stay on the racing line and try to maximize the point of braking, which I did; But that did not work. »

The reigning world champion was therefore never again worried. Even the undercut attempted by Ferrari also proved to be a failure, as the gap to be closed was too large. Not to mention the pit stop time, which lasted more than three seconds for a problem at the front right. The pressure put by Leclerc when restarting the race after exiting the safety car did not seem to alter him. The Red Bull this weekend was just superior to its rival, in addition to managing its tires more easily.

"It's just a decision you make in the moment, defends Max Verstappen. On both sides. I went to the right and Charles defended as he did. And then after the turn, you realize what's best, right? It could have worked for Charles, it could have worked for me. It worked for me this time. It's just because... We're going at such a speed that you have to make these decisions in a few milliseconds, so obviously..."

Failing to have a race for the breathless lead, the one for the championship is completely relaunched. Verstappen, on the strength of his two successive victories, comes back to 19 points behind his rival, each weekend a little under pressure. His Red Bull also seems to have closed the gap that separated it from the Ferrari, without having resolved its reliability problems – Pérez still experienced problems with his power unit.

Clinical from Verstappen 💪#MiamiGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/HkwmfHQlA2

— Formula 1 (@F1) May 8, 2022