Scuderia Ferrari Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc analyzed in a cool-headed manner the controversial incident with his Maranello teammate Carlos Sainz that occurred during Q1 at the Silverstone circuit, which enraged the Monegasque driver over the radio. According to internal team agreements, number 16 was supposed to have priority in making the final attempt ahead of the Spaniard, but the latter decided to overtake him on the second-to-last corner, causing friction between the two.
“It’s something we expected in the pit lane,” said Charles Leclerc at the end of qualifying. “We always try to go out at the same time to better manage the cars coming behind. But on track, obviously, that’s where there is a bit more discussion. In one race, I had the priority to choose whether to be in front or behind, while in another race, Carlos had the priority to be in front or behind.” – he pointed out.
“Here, I had the opportunity to choose, and I decided to be in front. Then, in the end, we had very tight timings. It was very difficult for us to know if we would be able to cross the line before the flag. Carlos decided to overtake me, which wasn’t ideal, but it’s not a problem. With the adrenaline in the car at that moment, you don’t know if you will make it. The radio message might have been a bit aggressive.” – the Monegasque driver explained.
Charles Leclerc, acting as a firefighter, is thus trying to extinguish the controversy that arose within his own team’s radio in the final stages of Q1. The Monegasque driver sarcastically commented over the radio after being overtaken by his teammate, saying, “Well done Carlos, well done. Nice overtake on the last corner.”
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Carlos Sainz justified himself, admitting that he felt under pressure considering the time was almost up and the fear of not crossing the finish line in time. Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur partly blamed Lewis Hamilton for the incident. According to the Frenchman, the British driver created chaos on the second-to-last corner.
Fortunately, both drivers managed to qualify for the next round, with Charles Leclerc finishing the qualifying session in fourth position, just a few milliseconds ahead of number 55. However, as highlighted by the telemetry, the Monegasque driver lost a lot of time at Stowe on his final attempt, ruining the chance of securing the front row.
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