“This Is Ridiculous”: Charles Leclerc Loses His Cool as George Russell Causes Chaos in Qualifying

Remember the chaos that ensued after qualifying at the Mexican GP? Just last week, the FIA investigated eight drivers for questionable things they did during qualifying. One of the most prominent ones was George Russell, Fernando Alonso, and Max Verstappen blocking the pit exit in an attempt to create a gap for other drivers on the track. Looks like Russell hasn’t learned from his mistakes because he did something similar during qualifying at the Brazilian GP, and left Charles Leclerc furious.

After hours of deliberation in Mexico, the steward finally gave their verdict on the impeding. All three drivers came out unscathed. None of them received penalties. But it looks like Russell could very well change the FIA’s Mexico decision in Interlagos.

Russell isn’t doing himself any favors after the Charles Leclerc incident

Following the Mexican GP weekend, the FIA stated that drivers cannot stand still at the end of the pit lane. Creating a gap for drivers is crucial for drivers to put in good lap times, especially in short circuits like Interlagos and Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. Instead of creating a gap by stopping in the pitlane, the FIA said that drivers could drive slowly in the pit exit. But while doing that, they need to stay as far left as they possibly can. Well, George Russell didn’t do that.

While Russell was exiting the pit in qualifying, Leclerc was behind him, approaching fast. The 25-year-old was driving slowly and was still in Leclerc’s way. The thing is, Leclerc felt that the maneuver was not only dangerous but also ridiculous. He expressed that on his radio and said, “What is Russell doing? He is going to slow. That‘s ridiculous. He took like a 20s gap.”

This wasn’t the first time Russell did this in the session. That same thing happened with Alpine’s Pierre Gasly as well. The Frenchman was exiting the pits quite fast and Russell was right there, going slowly on his merry way. Much like Leclerc, Gasly was furious at the Brit. Russell will be investigated after the session for the Gasly incident.

Read More: “Gap Difficult to Close”: Fred Vasseur Gives Up Only Days After Cracking a Whip on Charles Leclerc & Carlos Sainz

Whatever happens with Russell, things are looking good for Charles Leclerc and Ferrari at the Brazilian GP.

Charles Leclerc’s plan is working the way he wants

Coming into the Brazilian GP, Ferrari is only 22 points behind Mercedes in P2. With the battle for that second place behind Red Bull going strong, Leclerc seemed optimistic for Brazil, especially considering it’s a Sprint weekend. When asked about the fight for P2, Leclerc said, as reported by Crash.net, “Of course it would be bad. I don’t want to finish third in the Constructors’ Championship as much as the Drivers’ Championship where we’re fighting for positions less interesting. The second place is still significant. We will do everything as a team to finish second in the constructors’ so let’s see what’s possible.” 

In another rain-interrupted qualifying at Interlagos, Leclerc secured P2 for Sunday’s race, ahead of both Mercedes cars in P5 and P6. Now, all that Ferrari needs to do is find a way to manage its tires in the race and not mess up its strategy. In terms of Carlos Sainz’s P8, the Spaniard will look to climb up the places to help Ferrari’s case against Mercedes.

WATCH THIS STORY | Charles Leclerc Picked as the Perfect Replacement for Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes Despite Disturbing “Issues” in His Head

Do you think the Scuderia can pull off a faultless rest of the weekend? And will George Russell get penalized for his incidents with Charles Leclerc and Pierre Gasly?