Following the abrupt COVID-19 break, Formula 1 returned to action. After 6 races across Europe, Formula 1 is scheduled to visit Belgium. Last year Ferrari clinched the top spot while Mercedes took the second.
Charles Leclerc won his first-ever Grand Prix at Belgium last year. However, the Spa-Francorchamps was also the venue for a horrific accident last year involving Anthoine Hubert. A dear friend of Hubert, Charles Leclerc stated it will be “difficult to return to this track” and understandably so.
“The Spa-Francorchamps circuit has a special place in my heart. While it is here that I took my first win, it is also where we lost our friend Anthoine last year. It will be difficult to return to this track and he will be in our thoughts all weekend”, Leclerc stated.
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Ferrari was phenomenal last season in Belgium. Young Leclerc got the first taste of victory right here. Ferrari is far from its form of 2019. However, Leclerc believes that situation can change at any moment. He also admits that expectations would be high and it would be difficult to perform this time.
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“In terms of expectations, it will be tougher for us in terms of performance this time around as we do not have the same level of competitiveness as we did in 2019. However, we have seen that anything can happen at this track, especially with the unpredictable weather.”
Leclerc states that in order to have a good race, they need to pick up everything they can right from quali.
“As a team, we will have to work very hard to do all we can to get the most out of the car right from Friday. In free practice, we must gather all the information needed to pick the best strategy for qualifying and especially for the race”
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In 2019, during the 2019 Spa-Francorchamps FIA Formula 2 round, Hubert suffered an accident and succumbed to his injuries. The 2020 Belgian Grand Prix would be the first race there after the tragic accident.
Leclerc was a very close friend of Hubert. It would be difficult for him, but a man of composure, he’d try to repeat his win in his honor.