Everything was going smoothly for Charles Leclerc until the final run to the chequered flag in Q3 of Sprint Shootout. Leclerc pinned his SF-23 into the barriers of the Baku City Circuit and damaged his front wing.
Despite hitting the car, Leclerc succeeded in securing the pole position for the Sprint race and hopes to beat Red Bull this weekend. After the Sprint Shootout, the Monegasque explained how he ended up crashing the front wing of his car which costs $100,000.
He said, “With the overheating of rear tires, and the dust, I used a bit too much of the track. I lost the rear, then all I had in mind was to hit the wall very straight to not damage the rear, as that takes longer to repair.”
Charles Leclerc apologizes to his teammate after the crash
In the SQ3 session, the drivers were on the flying lap to try to better their current grid position for the Sprint race. While Leclerc was already on the provisional pole, his teammate Carlos Sainz was the one trying to up his game.
But the Monegasque driver crash brought out the yellow flag which in turn ruined any chances for the Spaniard. Right after the crash, Leclerc spoke on the team radio and apologized, “Ah sorry for Carlos.”
Later in the post-qualifying interview, Leclerc further added that it was a shame if Carlos was improving. “But I’m very happy with the first lap and we now need to confirm that in the race,” he further added.
Fans easily forgave the Ferrari star
The Tifosi forgave their star driver after the crash as he gave them immense happiness with two back-to-back poles at the Azerbaijan GP. One fan noted that Leclerc can crash as much as he wants as long as he keeps securing poles.
Tbf if you keep getting poles in this shit box you can crash as much as you like (in quali)
— Joe (@yaserasprillas) April 29, 2023
Meanwhile, another fan pointed out that the situation would be totally opposite if it had been Sainz instead of Leclerc.
Look Charles made a mistake and costs Carlos a lap but still being defended and no one blaming. Carlos better to find a new team because not of his team, but the Tifosi never love their 2nd driver like how Mercedes fans on Bottas and even RB fans are never this hate on Checo.
— Fadhil (@Fadhillakbar473) April 29, 2023
