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Button heaps praise on "unbelievably quick" Leclerc

18:02, 08 Jul 2018

byAdam Newton

There was rare disappointment for Charles Leclerc today as a loose wheel forced him to retire for the first time in his fledgling F1 career.

The Monegasque driver had scored points in five of the previous six races and was sitting P8 when he came in for his first pit stop.

Sauber have recording exceptionally fast pit stop times in recent weeks, but this one was maybe too fast.

A 2.3 second stop and his rear right wheel was not attached correctly, forcing him to retire.

This did not stop 2009 World Champion Jenson Button from heaping praise on the youngster, even comparing him to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who won the previous race in Austria.

“He is achieving so much. You think if he was in a Red Bull. Like Max was, when he came into Toro Rosso, into the sport and moving up to Red Bull so quickly, he (Leclerc) is on it so quickly.”

Button, who won 15 races in his F1 career also tipped Leclerc to be in a race winning car soon, and suggested that he has the ability to take on Sebastian Vettel, today’s race winner and one of the best we’ve ever seen in the sport.

“He could be in a winning car next year and perform well.

“Of course he’s going to mistakes, he’s still young and quite inexperienced in Formula One but he’s unbelievably quick and if he was in a Ferrari he would be pushing Sebastian very hard.”