Charles Leclerc was relieved to win the Austrian Grand Prix, despite Max Verstappen being the favorite. Ferrari had the fastest car, but was also strategically on top today, much to the relief of the Monegasque.
Charles Leclerc was relieved to win the Austrian Grand Prix, despite Max Verstappen being the favorite. Ferrari had the fastest car, but was also strategically on top today, much to the relief of the Monegasque.
Leclerc expressed his satisfaction with the strong result after the race. "It was a very good race. The pace was there at the start, we had some good fights with Max," he said in conversation with David Coulthard.
Towards the end, the Ferrari driver had problems with his accelerator, which gave him some more exciting moments. "The end was incredibly difficult, I had a problem with the throttle. It was locked in twenty or thirty percent at low speeds, so it was very difficult," Leclerc acknowledged.
However, he managed to hold on until the end and secure a long-awaited victory after a difficult period. "I'm very happy," commented the Monegasque, who admits he was a little scared at the end, especially after seeing teammate Carlos Sainz jump out of a burning Ferrari.
"Strangely, it was about the same time, so of course I had that in mind," he admits.
"I definitely needed that. The last five races were incredibly hard for me, but of course also for the team, and we finally showed that we have pace and the car is amazing, so we have to go all the way," the race winner concluded.