“I don’t think I was wrong”: that’s how Charles Leclerc commented on the episode with Alexander Albon after the Imola GP. Clearly disappointed with how the race ended, the Monegasque driver didn’t hide his frustration. A great deal of bad luck shaped a Sunday that could have been brilliant: the strategy seemed to be working in his favor, putting him in the fight for the podium, until the Virtual Safety Car.
After a horror-show Saturday, Ferrari needed to respond. The race plan—aggressive and resolute—was clear from the outset: split strategies aimed at disrupting those ahead who were betting on a processional race. It was an excellent interpretation of what was otherwise a static race, which, without a couple of very unlucky episodes, could have been much more “Red”.
Charles Leclerc’s pace after the first stop had him in full contention for a podium spot. Only the retirement of Oliver Bearman—and the resulting Virtual Safety Car—disrupted the Monegasque’s plans. However, his pace never dropped, and he stayed within reach of the top three until the final laps, when he had to fend off an attack from Alexander Albon on fresh tyres.
Charles Leclerc: “The rules will never satisfy everyone”
The key moment—when Charles Leclerc, defending, pushes his rival onto the gravel—is a source of controversy. The interpretation is neither clear nor easy, perhaps due to the complicated guidelines issued by the FIA. These, as Max Verstappen remarked some time ago, could “dilute” on-track battles. It’s a view that, when speaking to journalists, car #16 seems to agree with.
“What Max said is true: we all have the rules in mind and we always try to play around them, and that’s what I tried to do today. Sometimes it’s a matter of a centimetre, which can make the difference between staying within the rules or not. Judging at 250 km/h is quite difficult. I believed I was just within the limits today. Obviously, from the outside, it doesn’t look that way because there’s a car in the gravel. But I’ll think about it again.”
“I’m always very honest with myself. If I think I made a mistake, I’ll tell Alexander [Albon]. But for now, I don’t think I did anything wrong. I don’t think we’ll ever have a situation where everyone is happy [with the rules]. That’s my honest point of view. I think it’s very hard to please everyone. I don’t think we’ll ever find a balance.” – the Monegasque driver pointed out.
“When you get penalised for something, you have to accept it. There will never be a rulebook that describes every situation. And even if there were, it would be impossible for us to remember all the rules for all the different scenarios.”
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