Charles Leclerc on Spanish GP podium: “For once we got lucky with the Safety Car”. Charles Leclerc secured a surprising podium at the Spanish GP.

Ferrari and Charles Leclerc had pinned their hopes on today’s Spanish Grand Prix, and in the end, the result came. The Monegasque driver brought Ferrari an unlikely podium, especially considering how the weekend began, on a track – the Circuit de Catalunya-Barcelona – that, on paper, seemed one of the most challenging for the SF-25.

However, one point should be made clear: the podium, although achieved thanks to a determined Leclerc, was primarily the result of the Safety Car, which came out a few laps from the end to allow marshals to clear Andrea Antonelli’s Mercedes W16, which had stopped due to an oil leak in its power unit.

At that point, all drivers pitted. Charles Leclerc fitted a set of used Softs, while Verstappen, who at the time was third and directly behind the McLaren cars, had to mount a new set of Hards, having run out of other compounds.

At the restart, Charles Leclerc immediately passed the four-time world champion on the straight, though it was not without risk. Max Verstappen lost control of his RB21 coming out of the final corner but recovered it masterfully. Charles Leclerc drew alongside him and, towards the end of the straight, squeezed him to prevent an outside overtake and to try to keep up with the MCL39s.

In the maneuver, Max and Charles’s cars made contact due to the Monegasque’s move, even though the Dutchman still had space on the left.

“It was a battle for track position and for the slipstream from the cars ahead (after the first corner). I didn’t want to go too wide, where Max was trying to push me, so I nudged him a bit. There was slight contact, but fortunately nothing happened,” Leclerc said after the race.

The strategy of keeping two sets of new Mediums for the race would not have paid off without the Safety Car. And in fact, it didn’t. But the opportunity to fit another set of Softs due to Antonelli’s Mercedes issue changed everything.

“Yesterday I sacrificed qualifying to try to have better chances today in the race, and in the end, we were rewarded. I think fourth place was the realistic result for us at one point in the race, but we got lucky with the Safety Car and I’m happy. For once…” – he pointed out.

“When my engineer told me Max had fitted a new set of Hards, I don’t know if that was their choice. I assume they had no alternative. So I was very optimistic when he told me. I knew how poorly the Hards would perform, and at that point, I thought I had an opportunity at the restart. And that’s how it went.” – the Monegasque driver concluded.