TV pictures provide the proof |
Verstappen garbage slowed down Leclerc
It all started so well, but then the World Cup competitor got in the way!
Charles Leclerc (24) fought his way through Formula 1 race in Belgium Spa-Francorchamps from rank 15 to 9. While chasing Max Verstappen (24), something happened that Leclerc really slowed down!
The Dutchman tore off a film that is glued to the visor, the so-called tear-offs – and it flew into Leclerc’s brake ventilation!
Consequence: Leclerc had to pit after just three laps after a lot of smoke went up.
Reason: The visor got caught in the brake ventilation duct, which blocked the air flow to the brake disc and thus triggered the overheating.
Blessing in disguise: In the past, this has resulted in cars having to drop out of the race.
Verstappen later explained that Lewis Hamilton’s rolling Mercedes had thrown liquids into the air. “It was super hectic and there was so much dirt. So I pulled my tear-off because I could hardly see anything,” said the Dutchman.
But he also showed sympathy for Leclerc: “It’s your worst nightmare.” He later explained that he hoped it wasn’t his visor protection.
But it was! According to media reports, Ferrari checked the onboard recordings after the race and found that it belonged to Verstappen!
The footage clearly shows that there were only a few seconds between Verstappen tearing away and a tear-off visor being stuck in Leclerc’s brake vents.
Leclerc managed to get back up and fight his way up to 6th place, but then it all went wrong again…
A few laps before the end, the Ferrari driver switched to the soft tires in order to take at least one point from his championship competitor with the fastest race lap. However, he received a 5-second time penalty for driving 1 km/h too fast in the pit lane! Leclerc thus fell back to 6th place.
Leclerc: “It’s my fault, period.”
As it turned out later, Verstappen was also indirectly to blame!
Because the tear-off had damaged one of the Ferrari’s speed sensors. So Leclerc didn’t know exactly how fast he really drove into the pits.
With eight races to go, Leclerc is already 98 points behind his competitor. Verstappen leads the world championship with 284 points, with Red Bull driver Sergio Perez (191) in between.