WATCH: Mattia Binotto Takes Over as Charles Leclerc’s ‘Assistant’ Ahead of Spanish GP Qualifying

Charles Leclerc was enigmatic in the Spanish GP Qualifying. Despite facing a troublesome moment, the driver and team boss Mattia Binotto, managed a comeback. Moreover, to their credit, the upgrades have paid off with F1-75 possibly becoming the fastest car on the grid.

It was a close call, and Leclerc arguably got lucky in the end moments. His calm and composure, despite a hefty mistake, were commendable and inspirational.

Charles Leclerc hands over his watch to Mattia Binotto before qualifying

Amidst all the drama, a recent fan video is making the rounds on the internet, showing Leclerc handing over his watch to Mattia Binotto. It is usually Andrea Ferrari who assists the driver with everything. However, Andrea wasn’t around this time. Further, Andrea has been Charles’s athletic trainer for quite some time now. We often see the two hanging around together during race weekends.

Team Ferrari and Leclerc have really turned the game around this season. 2022 provides the Monegasque arguably with a realistic chance at the trophy. After getting pole 4 times in the last 6 qualifying sessions, Leclerc has shown incredible pace. However, he has also been unlucky with tire degradation and race pace as he has lost 3 races to the reigning world champion.

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The last race was also a nightmare for Leclerc, where despite being the pole sitter, his car couldn’t keep up with Max’s RB18. Red Bull‘s straight-line speeds have given them an advantage over Ferrari, allowing Verstappen to pick up 2 consecutive race wins.

Leclerc’s memorable flying lap in Spain

It was Q3, and the session was reaching a crucial moment. Just then, Leclerc spun on his flying lap. The Monegasque quickly turned to make way to the pits and was back on track in no time. However, with 2 minutes left on the clock, he was required to produce a flying lap like no other. In the dying moments of the session with bare seconds left, the 24-year-old topped the charts ahead of Max Verstappen.

Arguably, that was a champion’s lap from Charles, where he managed to crush the competition despite enormous stress. Verstappen, on the other hand, reported a power loss at the very end, as he missed out on an important pole. Notably, the competition has suddenly become severe with the way developments have come into play.

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With Mercedes also looking strong, this could very well be a three-way race to the P1 trophy. But what are your thoughts? Who will become Spain’s ultimate winner?