Before the race in Imola, Charles Leclerc predicted that it would be a challenging afternoon for him. The Monegasque decided to race ‘with his elbows out’, and fought ‘on the limit’ with Pierre Gasly and Alexander Albon. ‘I have no regrets about what I did,’ Leclerc reflects on the confrontations, in which both his opponents eventually had to go through the gravel.
Just like his teammate Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc was facing a tough afternoon on Sunday in Imola. The Monegasque had already stranded in Q2 of the qualification a day earlier and had to start the race in eleventh place. A catch-up race followed, with Williams driver Alexander Albon proving to be a formidable opponent. A sixth-place finish was the ultimate result.
“I said it before the race: this is one of those races where you have to race with your heart and where you have to stick your elbows out a bit,” Leclerc tells Sky Sports F1 afterwards. “In such situations, you really drive on the limit, and sometimes just over it.” However, the Ferrari driver had no other choice. “If you start from the eleventh place… I just couldn’t accept the situation we were in as a driver. So yes, I took risks.””The Ferrari protege indeed used his elbows in the race at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari. The first victim of this was Pierre Gasly. The two drivers encountered each other on the track, causing the Frenchman to go wide and through the gravel trap. “I don’t think I really went over the limit with Pierre. It was just a racing incident,” said Leclerc.
No Regrets
Leclerc is also clear about the incident with Alexander Albon, in the final stages of the race. The Monegasque has no regrets about his action, even though it meant that teammate Lewis Hamilton ended up as the laughing third for the pair. “With Alex, it was really on the edge, I admit that. But I thought that, as the rules are written, I was exactly on the limit of what is allowed,” Leclerc continues. “Whether that’s the case? I need to look at the footage again, but I have no regrets about what I did. Today it was about giving everything. And I knew at the moment I didn’t make a pit stop at the second safety car, it would be a very difficult race.”
