Charles Leclerc takes responsibility for the start
Charles Leclerc is fine, he has no major physical aftereffects following the violent accident last Sunday at Monza and there was never any doubt about the possibility that he could take part in the Madrid race, at least according to his words. The psychological issue is different, after the near-contact in turn 2 that pushed Lewis Hamilton onto the gravel and caused him to lose some positions. And exposing himself to the whirlwind of controversy inside the Maranello garage and on social networks, moreover in the home GP, that is, at the moment when all of Ferrari had (even more than usual) all eyes on them. On one thing, however, the Monegasque is clear: the responsibility for what happened at the start of last Sunday’s Italian GP is his, and he talked about this with his teammate in the days following the GP.
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The Monegasque’s comment
“Now – explains Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari hospitality at Monza to some newspapers including FormulaPassion.it – I think the rules of conduct on track are quite clear. We never want to see a car from the same team end up on the grass and, after analyzing the incident, I spoke with Lewis. Obviously, I know I overdid it at the second corner, I told him, and it is very clear what we should or should not do in the future. But I will not go into further details beyond what has already been said. The only thing I can add is that this episode has absolutely not affected the good relationship we have and will not influence in any way what will happen in the future. And this is the most important thing for me”.
“Then, obviously, I know we race for Ferrari – adds the Monegasque – and if there is a race where you wouldn’t want something like this to happen, it is precisely at Monza. And when these things happen in our home race, then a big chaos is created outside. Then I watched the race from outside and noticed that there were frictions even between other teammates. And the only thing people end up talking about is me and Hamilton, which I don’t think is entirely fair. But this does not mean we did everything perfectly. I didn’t at turn two. And for this, after reviewing the images, I was immediately very clear with Lewis”.
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All cleared up with Lewis Hamilton
Then Leclerc is also asked about his teammate’s entry at turn 1, but he does not fuel the controversy: “I don’t want to talk about it because then it seems, even though I know there is no bad intention on your part, that we are just arguing with Lewis, which is not true. I think the most important thing is that we clarified the situation, we talked about it. I told Lewis how I felt, Lewis told me how he felt. I believe that, in hindsight, when we talk without the emotions of the race, we fully agree on our respective opinions”. “After all, it happens and in fact it won’t be the last time it happens, I’m sure, because it’s the kind of thing that happens in racing especially when we often start next to each other. But it is certainly not a situation we want to find ourselves in again, and this is very clear to both of us,” concluded Charles Leclerc.
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