Leclerc thought podium was secure: 'Verstappen DNF'ed, didn't he?'
F1 News
Confusion for Ferrari's Charles Leclerc at the Japanese Grand Prix. For laps, the Monegasque thought he was on for the podium but found out just a lap before the flag dropped that he was 'just' on P4. The Ferrari driver had mistaken Sergio Perez for the other Red Bull Racing driver, Max Verstappen.
While Perez had a dramatic weekend, Verstappen actually had a rock-solid race. As Perez slowly drifted around the Suzuka Circuit under the virtual safety car, Leclerc passed him. Leclerc was pretty sure it was Verstappen who had to put his car in the pit box and abandon his race. He came home from a mediocre start.
Leclerc found out at the last minute not to go for P3
Racer.com quotes the Monegasque: "I didn’t even follow what Max did because I saw him stopping at the safety car or after the safety car — I don’t know what happened there, and I thought he wasn’t in the race anymore. So I thought I was doing a podium until the last lap, where I actually looked at the board, and I was P4!."
Although Leclerc says he had already figured it out in the car, the media still had to assure him that he had not actually overtaken Verstappen because of problems on the Dutchman's side. Leclerc: "No, Verstappen slowed down at one point, no? Exit of Turn 14. I think it was the VSC? He basically stopped on the left, and we all overtook him…." When told emphatically, the Ferrari driver believed it: "Ohhh right, OK. That’s what it was — I thought Max was out of the race at that moment. It was just confusing for me.”