On the 36th race lap of the Spanish GP, Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari suddenly stood across the chicane. The Monegasse had spun because its engine suddenly stopped. “This blocked the rear wheels and I turned,” the Monegasse described later. Leclerc left no stone unturned to restart the engine, which initially didn’t work.
“Then I loosened the seat belts to get out,” admitted the two-time GP winner, who was however instructed by his race engineer to try one last time. To Leclerc’s surprise, the car started again and he was able to continue – but he was no longer buckled up, which is why he drove into the pits one lap after his spin, where he ended the race prematurely.
On the way to the pit, which turned out to be longer than necessary, Leclerc radioed: “When I brake, I move back and forth quite a lot. I don’t mind, but I’m sure that no one will be happy with me if I drive on without being buckled up again. ” In fact, some reacted with incomprehension to the drive of the young Ferrari star.
For example, the former GP driver Jolyon Palmer complained in horror in the Chequred Flag podcast: “To do a lap in Formula 1 without being tied down seems to me to be the most dangerous thing you can do in a GP. You are not allowed to drive in a 30-inch zone without buckling up your seatbelt, let alone at 150 miles per hour and 19 other racing cars that are wheel-to-wheel duels around you. “
“That is really questionable because you never know what could break in the car, you cannot predict what could take you off and land in the lane,” emphasized the 29-year-old Briton, who between 2016 and 2017 had a total of 35 GP Has completed starts and has supported Formula 1 as an expert ever since.
Spain GP 2020, Barcelona
1. Lewis Hamilton (GB), Mercedes, 1:19:44,062h
2. Max Verstappen (NL), Red Bull Racing, +24,177 sec
3. Valtteri Bottas (FIN), Mercedes, +44,752
4. Lance Stroll (CDN), Racing Point, +1 Runde
5. Sergio Pérez (MEX), Racing Point, +1 Runde
6. Carlos Sainz (E), McLaren, +1 lap
7. Sebastian Vettel (D), Ferrari, +1 Rounds
8. Alex Albon (T), Red Bull Racing, +1 Runde
9. Pierre Gasly (F), AlphaTauri, +1 Runde
10. Lando Norris (GB), McLaren, +1 Runde
11. Daniel Ricciardo (AUS), Renault, +1 lap
12. Daniil Kvyat (RUS), AlphaTauri, +1 Runde
13. Esteban Ocon (F), Renault, +1 Runde
14. Kimi Räikkönen (FIN), Alfa Romeo, +1 round
15. Kevin Magnussen (DK), Haas, +1 Round
16. Antonio Giovinazzi (I), Alfa Romeo, +1 round
17. George Russell (GB), Williams, +1 Runde
18. Nicholas Latifi (CDN), Williams, +2 Runden
19. Romain Grosjean (F), Haas, +2 Runden
Charles Leclerc (MC), Ferrari, DNF
World Championship stand drivers after 6 of 13 races
1. Hamilton 132 points
2. Verstappen 95
3. Bottas 89
4. Leclerc 45
5. Stroll 40
6. Albon 40
7. Norris 39
8. Pérez 32
9. Sainz 23
10. Ricciardo 20
11. Vettel 16
12. Ocon 16
13. Gasly 14
14. Nico Hülkenberg (D) 6
15. Giovinazzi 2
16. Kvyat 2
17. Magnussen 1
18. Raikkonen 0
19. Latifi 0
20. Russell 0
21. Grosjean 0
Brands
1. Mercedes 221
2. Red Bull Racing 135
3. Racing Point 63 (78)*
4. McLaren 62
5. Ferrari 61
6. Renault 36
7. AlphaTauri 16
8. Alfa Romeo 2
9. Haas 1
10. Williams 0
* 15 points deduction for using illegally copied brake ventilation
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