Charles Leclerc secured a hard-fought victory in the Austrian Grand Prix. The Monegasque was relieved to have Max Verstappen behind him and spoke to the press afterwards.
For Leclerc, the race was anything but easy. Not only did Red Bull Racing's Verstappen pull out all the stops to get the most out of the weekend, but he also saw his teammate Carlos Sainz drop out with engine problems. "Today shows even more that it's a concern. We really need to look at it and make sure it doesn't happen again," Leclerc told Sky Sports.
He himself also had problems with the Ferrari. "I was pushing the car a lot and the throttle was incredibly inconsistent. I just had to control it and in the end, I crossed the finish line first, which I'm very happy about."
Speaking to Viaplay, he also elaborated on the closing stages of the race. According to Leclerc, it was a big challenge to get his car across the finish line first. "I was very nervous. In the car, it was incredibly difficult to get through Turn 3, because it's a very tight corner."