“I mean, these two guys, they are operating and pushing each other so hard.
“I don’t know whether anything else contributed to his accident. However, this incident sits alongside a spin at Imola, where he dropped from third place to finish sixth, in the column of Leclerc’s own mistakes – as he took responsibility for it afterwards rather than blaming the car.ĬHARLES!!!!!! ????? #F1 /km7njvaUi7Īsked by Sky F1’s Ted Kravitz whether the Monegasque can now be labelled a “crasher” who is costing himself valuable points in his duel with Verstappen, Red Bull team principal Horner said: “I don’t think so. It was the latest in a lengthy list of races where Leclerc has suffered misfortune this season, mostly as a result of car breakdowns or botched strategy decisions by Ferrari.
Starting from pole position, the Ferrari driver fended off an early challenge from Verstappen who then made a pit-stop on lap 16 to attempt the undercut.īut under no pressure, although with his own tyres perhaps starting to lose performance, Leclerc spun into the barrier and out of the race – as Verstappen went on to win and extend his margin in the Drivers’ standings to 63 points. Christian Horner has refuted the suggestion that Charles Leclerc is a “crasher” who is handing the World Championship to Max Verstappen on a plate.Īfter getting himself back into the title picture by winning the Austrian Grand Prix, Leclerc had a golden chance to eat further into his rival’s championship advantage when he led the French GP.