Charles Leclerc has achieved a significant feat in Belgium: he managed to keep Max Verstappen at bay for forty-four laps. The Monegasque driver narrowly undercut the Dutchman’s time by three-thousandths of a second during Saturday’s qualifying session, but he was uncertain whether he could maintain his lead over the world champion during the main event. Ultimately, the Ferrari driver prevailed, crossing the finish line in third place.
Although Max Verstappen believes he was ‘never really in a battle with Leclerc’ for third place at Spa, Charles Leclerc saw things differently. The Ferrari driver felt the pressure from Verstappen, particularly in the closing stages of the race, and was not keen on receiving a barrage of information from race engineer Bryan Bozzi from the pit wall. “Please leave me alone,” he even said over the team radio.
After the race, Leclerc described how he had to fight hard for his third-place finish throughout the entire Grand Prix. “Max was within two seconds behind me the whole race, which is never easy,” the driver explained. “I knew the first part of the race would be the toughest for us, as we didn’t have the downforce that the McLarens or Max had. They sacrificed their setup a bit in qualifying to be better in the rain today. But luckily it dried up quickly and then our pace was good. But Max was right behind me the whole race. I’m quite happy that we managed to hold onto that third place.”
Heated Onboard Radios
The Monegasque driver is also asked about his onboard radios, which sounded quite heated lately. “The pressure is high, especially under these circumstances,” Leclerc continues. “Because as soon as you get ten or fifteen centimeters off the ideal line, it’s wet or slippery, you can lose that line and make a big mistake. So at one point I told Bryan to leave me alone. But of course, he tries to give me as much information as possible. Sometimes I need that. Not today, and I let him know.” The Ferrari driver is currently fifth in the drivers’ championship, and with his Belgian podium finish, he is closing in on his nearest competitor and fourth place, George Russell.
Upgrades
Ferrari’s gamble to bring an upgrade package during the sprint weekend at Spa-Francorchamps paid off well with Leclerc’s third place. Teammate Lewis Hamilton was also able to score points after a disappointing qualification. “Honestly, we got what we expected from this upgrade and that’s very positive,” says Leclerc. The Monegasque is therefore hopeful for the Hungarian GP. “We need to keep learning how to get the most out of this new upgrade. It’s still quite new, but it was a good first weekend and I’m glad we’re on the podium to thank the whole team in Maranello. But we keep pushing and hopefully we can put some more pressure on the McLarens soon.”
