Charles Leclerc fought hard at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, starting from ninth on the grid and pushing aggressively through overtakes, managing his race pace and tires. Despite his strong performance, he could only finish sixth under the checkered flag. The disqualification of the two McLarens added to the frustration, as Charles Leclerc’s final fourth place could easily have been a podium finish. After penalties to Andrea Kimi Antonelli, the gap between the Italian and the Monegasque was just 190 thousandths of a second.
Leclerc does not hide his frustration
Speaking to Canal+, Charles Leclerc openly admitted his disappointment: “I think it was one of my best performances of the year in terms of overtakes and aggression. The result was compromised because Oscar was in Kimi’s DRS zone, which made things much more complicated as we were losing too much downforce. So yes, it’s frustrating, but I enjoyed taking risks to overtake. With the strategy, though, I feel we took a step back, a bit too much. We lost a few positions that cost us dearly in the second stint, making it more difficult.”
Charles Leclerc was candid about his effort: “I don’t like to say it, but today I gave everything. Losing a position by just a tenth is frustrating. Maybe we could have done something with the engine… I don’t know.”
Clarifying the start with Fernando Alonso
At the end of the race, Charles Leclerc also clarified the early-race incident with Fernando Alonso: “I told him that at the start it was tough because we touched, I was on the outside. From what he replied, it seems it was Liam pushing everyone. But that’s okay.” – the Monegasque driver concluded.
Fourth place and twelve points are better than sixth, but when you know third was within reach – and when you’ve just delivered one of your drives of the season – it still feels like two points lost rather than ten gained. Another weekend, another dose of Ferrari frustration for Charles Leclerc.
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