F1 News

leclerc update about not having tow and verstappen did have it

Leclerc explains exactly why he was upset on the team radio in qualifying

14 September at 21:00
  • Matt Gretton
  • Editor-in-Chief

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc was not happy for a while. During qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the Monegasque was update that he could not get a tow, which would have allowed him. Judging by radio reports, it seemed Leclerc was irritated with his teammate Carlos Sainz, who was not helping him to do so. Leclerc explain this was not true.

"Oh, no, no, it was nothing down to Carlos," Leclerc said. "It was just because I was the first car of the group, so I had nobody in front. We didn't plan anything [a tow] between the cars. I just wish there was maybe another team in front and I didn't want to be the first car. And on a track like this it makes a bit of a difference," Leclerc explained

Earlier in the qualifying session, Leclerc had seen that for himself. According to the Monegasque, Verstappen had a huge advantage in Q2, which helped him to clock a very quick time. "I also saw Max's lap in Q2 who had a massive tow in the last sector, so I just didn't want to be losing out to pole in Q3 because of something like that, so I was just making sure that the team knew that it was going to be important for Q3."

Sainz stands by Leclerc: 'Then it really counts'

According to Sainz, there was simply nothing the teammates could do about not being able to help each other. "I think we both went in the middle of the session in Q2 while every other team waited until the track evolution. We prioritised putting a lap in the middle of Q2 to be safe going into Q3, and that left us exposed to no tow. We were just making sure that for Q3 we were having one. That is when it counts," Sainz said.

This article has been created in collaboration with Ludo van Denderen