Charles Leclerc Got His Third Podium at the Belgian Grand Prix
Ferrari’s Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc won his third podium of the season at the Belgian Grand Prix on 30th July, before the summer break.
Red Bull’s Dutch racer Max Verstappen and his teammate Sergio Perez took first and second places, respectively.
“It feels good to be back on the podium, especially for the last race for the first part before the summer break. It’s been a positive weekend overall in terms of pace, from FP1 to the race,” said Leclerc, reacting to his achievement, -“And it was really important for me to finish on a high note, and we did. It’s good. It wasn’t an easy race. The rain was there in the second stint, which didn’t make things easy. But all in all, we had the perfect management of the race.”
Being qualified second fastest on Friday, Charles Leclerc inherited a P1 start after championship leader Max Verstappen’s five-place grid drop. However, he lost the leading position in the Kemmel Straight on the opening lap to Sergio Perez, another Red Bull team member.
After Leclerc held up Lewis Hamilton and Verstappen for a few laps before the Dutch driver came racing past. And a straight battle between Leclerc and Hamilton for the final spot on the podium began, ending up with the Monegasque winning the contest.
Charles Leclerc also told about the mood inside the Ferrari camp following his podium after what has been a mixed start to the year: “We are not happy about the first part of the season. I believe this last race puts a bit more of a smile on our faces. But also, unfortunately, with Carlos [Sainz] not finishing, not the whole team will be happy, which is completely normal. But looking at the pace, I think it’s been a positive weekend. We’ve been strong. Carlos has been strong in all conditions. I’ve been strong in all conditions. The car we were quite at ease with the car. Still a lot of work to do. We know where we need to improve the car, and this is where we will try to do a step forward for the next part of the season.”