Leclerc would opt for a new rule: ‘Would be better because of free air’

Max Verstappen had a better start in Las Vegas, and went down the inside of Charles Leclerc into Turn 1. However, on cold tyres, the Dutchman could not brake in time, and forced his rival wide.Aas a result, he received a five-second penalty. Leclerc shared his thoughts on the penalty.

"I think Max already came to me and explained the situation. Obviously, it was on the limit, over the limit, and I think the five-second penalty is deserved. It was tight. I still tried to push off the track, but it was so low grip to try and keep that position but it's the way it is. Then he was penalised," Charles Leclerc explained the situation between him and the Dutchman on Lap 1.

However, there is a change that Leclerc would prefer in the rule book. "I just think that in those kinds of situations, it would be better for the FIA to ask to give the place back, because I think there's quite a bit of an advantage to take care of tyres when you have free air but yeah, it's the way it is," he concluded.

The current world champion believes there is not too much of a difference between a five-second penalty or giving the position back, or at least he does not know. "I think we opted to just stay ahead at that point, so then you take the five-second penalty. I don't know what's better at the end. I mean, I paid the penalty, right? So it doesn't matter in a way. If you go back behind, you probably also end up losing, whatever, five seconds, so it's pretty similar, I guess, at the end," the race winner in Las Vegas said.