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Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc finished in fourth after Sunday’s Grand Prix. Discussing the results of the weekend, he admitted that he willingly sacrificed his race for his teammate Carlos Sainz to win as part of the strategy that led the Spaniard to his second victory in the main category.
The Singapore GP brought to the Circus the first non-Red Bull win of the season with Ferrari clinching the victory with Carlos Sainz. On the other side of the garage, Charles Leclerc finished fourth but admitted that, despite some disappointment on his side, the weekend has gone the right way for the team.
The request to Charles Leclerc to slow down in order to allow Sainz to build a gap in the first laps of the race led many to wonder about the feelings of the Monegasque post-Grand Prix. However, Leclerc confirmed on his side that he was well aware of the strategy before the start of the race.
The 25-year-old admitted to Sky Sport F1: “The strategy was normal, we had discussed it before the race. In the first stint, the situation was different because we had more pace than Mercedes, so this was positive. I asked if we could change something, but in the end, we did just fine. Carlos is on the top step of the podium and that’s what matters.”
He then went on to add: “For my part, I am certainly disappointed because I would have liked to have had a better result, especially because the pace was there. After the second stint, I aimed to bring the car home, but after Lewis and George passed me I knew my race was over.”
Leclerc: ‘Disappointed not to be on the podium’
In the end, Leclerc was only able to protect the fourth place but admitted the result was the product of a weekend that was far from perfect, as he struggled to show complete comfort with the car ever since free practice.
No excuses then for the Monegasque, as he stated that his teammate fully deserved the support due to his better performance in qualifying: “It was also my turn to do a better lap yesterday and Carlos was better, he completely deserves it. I knew it would go like this today and I had to protect Carlos, especially in the first stint. We did it very well with very good race management from the team.
“The performance was very positive, especially on a high-load track. Showing this type of performance is important, especially after Zandvoort. I’m disappointed not to be on the podium, but in the end, Ferrari won.”
Headline Image: Ferrari Media Centre