Scuderia Ferrari Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc admitted that his incident with Sergio Perez at the Red Bull Ring on last Sunday was different as compared to his battle with Max Verstappen which took place two years ago in Austria.
For the second time in three Formula 1 seasons, Charles Leclerc has been forced off the track after a duel against a Red Bull driver. This time Sergio Perez received a five-second time penalty (twice) for his action whereas in 2019, Max Verstappen got away with it and went on to win the race ahead of Charles:
“I think this one is probably a little bit different. You can argue that two years ago, I was not in front at the apex, or we were very close at least.” – the Monegasque driver explained.
The Ferrari driver was forced wide on two occasions by Sergio Perez but it was the first incident at Turn 4 where Charles Leclerc feels his opponent was too aggressive in defending: “I was definitely at the apex so he had to leave a space on the exit. I think he knows he overstepped it a little bit. We spoke, and he apologised straightaway after the race and it’s fine. I’m not the type of guy that is staying on it for so long so air is cleared and I will go forward. But I feel like this one was obviously a little bit different. The consequences were bigger for me. There was gravel, not tarmac and I was also in front at the apex around the outside so normally you need to have a space.” – Scuderia Ferrari Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc concluded.
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