Charles Leclerc admits Safety Car saved his second place after tyre struggles, while Hamilton and Verstappen reflect on chaotic Mexico Grand Prix.
Charles Leclerc expressed relief after securing his seventh podium of the season for Ferrari, crediting a late Safety Car intervention for saving his second place in the Mexico City Grand Prix.
“I’m very happy with this weekend and happy to be on this amazing podium again, but I was very happy also to see the Safety Car at the end,” Leclerc said.
“My tyres were completely gone and I could see Max was coming back on the softer tyre so it was tough, but the Safety Car saved me.”
He described the final stages as the most stressful part of the race.
Leclerc also recounted the chaotic start where he had to go straight to avoid contact with Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.
“I thought the race would end there for me and Lewis… Lewis wanted to try take his shot and I would have done exactly the same if I was him,” he added.
Hamilton, who started third and finished eighth after receiving a 10-second penalty for gaining an advantage by running off track, remained philosophical about his result.
“It was fun at the start and then it didn’t end up that way or the way I had hoped, but that’s motor racing,” the seven-time champion said.
“At least I got some points.”
Verstappen took a balanced view of the Virtual Safety Car that hampered his charge for second place and the early race incidents.
“It was very hectic at the beginning of the race for me,” he explained.
“I had to be on that kerb, kept battling out all the way so almost crashed over the grass and even after that there was a lot going on.”
The Red Bull driver noted his medium tyres made the first stint challenging while others ran softs.
“But once we bolted on the softs I think we were more competitive,” he said.
“And the Safety Car? Well, you win some, you lose some. Sometimes it works for you and sometimes it works against you.” – AFP
