“If you’re fighting for Championship against Max Verstappen you just cannot allow yourself to spin”– Nico Rosberg bashes Charles Leclerc for his unforced error in Imola that made him lose podium

Nico Rosberg criticizes Charles Leclerc for spinning out in the last phase of the race that cost his team a podium finish at Imola.

Charles Leclerc before coming to Imola had an incredible series of races. But where the Tifosis were going to be at large, the Monegasque couldn’t capitalize on the moment.

The Ferrari superstar was battling for the P2 with Sergio Perez before he lost his control at the sausage kerb. With this, his car got damaged, and he had to pit for the front wing change.

This sudden halt forced him to lose six positions in quick succession. Though, in the end, he managed to do damage limitation and finished P6.

However, Nico Rosberg is not impressed by this mistake. According to the former F1 champion, if Leclerc wants to win the world championship against Max Verstappen, he has to avoid spinning out like this.

“Charles…  If you’re fighting for a Championship against Max Verstappen you just cannot allow yourself to spin out there when you’re just driving on your own. Yes, he was hunting down Sergio Perez but the pressure on was Perez,” said Rosberg.

“To spin like that, my goodness, he has to avoid that for the rest of the season if he wants to win the Championship.”

Also read: F1 Twitter stunned as Charles Leclerc loses podium after hitting barriers while desperately hunting Sergio Perez

Charles Leclerc apologizes for his error

It isn’t necessary for Rosberg to make Leclerc acknowledge how damaging these mistakes are. That is why after the race, the Monegasque apologized to his team and the fans for his error that cost his team a significant number of points.

I gave it all but went over the limit at the end. Sorry to the team and to all the tifosi that supports us. Instead of a P3, it ended up in a P6. We’ll come back stronger.

— Charles Leclerc (@Charles_Leclerc) April 24, 2022

Verstappen bagged the maximum points available this weekend. By winning both sprint races, the main race and getting the fastest lap point, he has amassed a total of 34 points from Imola.

This haul by Verstappen has allowed him to cut a massive deficit against Leclerc. Though, he is still has a lot of work to do as he is still 27 points behind his Ferrari rival.

Also read: F1 fans left in disbelief as Daniel Ricciardo compels Ferrari star to have another DNF in 2022

About the author

Tanish Chachra

Tanish Chachra is the Motorsport editor at The SportsRush. He saw his first race when F1 visited India in 2011, and since then, his romance with the sport has been seasonal until he took up this role in 2020. Reigniting F1's coverage on this site, Tanish has fallen in love with the sport all over again. He loves Kimi Raikkonen and sees a future world champion in Oscar Piastri. Away from us, he loves to snuggle inside his books.

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