I wasn’t under any pressure, said Charles Leclerc about his mistake at the end of the Emilia Romagna VC. How did he evaluate his race in Imola?

Sainz’s accident on the opening lap of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix and then Leclerc’s big mistake at the end of the race. Ferrari really lost a lot of points at Imola. So how did Charles Leclerc assess his performance?

It was a truly disastrous race for Ferrari. First of all, Carlos Sainz crashed out on the first lap of the race when he was shot down by Daniel Ricciardo at the third corner of the first lap.

So the Italian team continued the race with just one car. It should be noted, this time Ferrari simply didn’t have what it took to match the amazing pace of Red Bull and Max Verstappen. The absolutely shocking moment then came on lap 54 of the race.

Leclerc was still closing in on second-placed Sergio Pérez and the current championship leader’s clear aim was to split the Red Bulls in the top two places.

However, Leclerc drove too fast into the chicane of Turns 14 and 15, with his drive over the kerb putting him on the clock. The Ferrari driver subsequently ended up in the wall with a damaged front wing. Another pit stop did not pass him by.

As a result, Leclerc dropped to ninth, but fortunately for him he was able to eliminate at least some of the damage and finished the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in sixth place.

Needless to say, Leclerc’s mistake cost Ferrari valuable points, while Red Bull also scored a double and gained a big psychological boost.

“I have always been strong in the fact that even if I made a mistake in a race, I knew how to correct it. Yes, what I did was another mistake, but I will learn from it and not make it again next time,” Leclerc said after the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, quoted by Motorsport.

Although Leclerc admits that he made a rather significant driving error, he is convinced that this mistake was not the culmination of the pressure that was put on him at a crucial moment in the race.

“Of course we were under pressure, not only in the race but throughout the weekend. And I don’t think I made many mistakes before that. This mistake cost us a lot, but it didn’t add any extra pressure,” Leclerc explained.

“In the end I only lost seven points out of what I could have gained. But they are points that can be valuable at the end of the season and every point counts. So yes, it won’t happen again,” he concluded.

F1, Motorsport