Ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix this weekend, Charles Leclerc and Pierre Gasly competed in a charity football game. Although the two were on the same team, Gasly still tackled Leclerc, which resulted in the Monegasque dropping to the floor.
Two days after this incident became viral all across social media, both drivers were quizzed about it during their press conference. When asked if it was true that he tackled Leclerc despite being on the same team, Gasly replied, “Completely untrue. Not this year. This happened once but it was not this year“.
Leclerc, who was sitting beside the Frenchman during the presser, quickly replied, “It happened again. I have the picture. I did not know it was you and you did not know it was me“. The hilarious exchange between the two sent the drivers sitting beside them bursting into laughter.
“is it true that you tackled charles even tho you’re on the same team?”
pierre: not true. this happened once but it wasn’t this year
charles: it happened again, i have the picture. i didn’t know it was you and you didn’t know it was me 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/g4Wu0jOL9u— clara (@leclercsletters) May 25, 2023
On hearing Leclerc’s reply, Gasly acknowledged that this may have happened again. The Frenchman then concluded his remarks by stating that the most important thing was that their team won the game.
‘I have it printed out‘: Wolff memes go viral after Leclerc corrects Gasly
Soon after Charles Leclerc corrected Pierre Gasly by stating that he had the picture of the Frenchman tackling him, several F1 fans such as Gabs and Peetstop were quick to share Toto Wolff memes. The Mercedes team principal became widely famous for his interaction with Christian Horner in season 5 of Netflix’s Drive to Survive.
Charles: https://t.co/45Y3wrGmg0 pic.twitter.com/I2SeL2GCIY
— gabs (@tinyshadxws) May 25, 2023
— peetstop (@fonescuderia) May 25, 2023
Wolff was furious with his rival team principals for not taking his concerns about safety seriously. So, when Horner told him that none of the teams had a problem with their cars, Wolff hilariously quoted Sergio Perez and replied, “I have it printed out“.
On similar lines, some other fans such as Lucy stated that Leclerc’s reply reminded them of Wolff’s “I have it printed out” moment.
Why did I remember Toto’s “I have it printed out!✋” moment? https://t.co/1etkrVy9s6
— Lucy ᶠ¹ (@Iucyboo) May 25, 2023
And then there were some other fans such as Fatima and Jo, who were confident that having Gasly and Leclerc in the same press conference would be a hit.
I knew this group would peak 😂😂😂 https://t.co/pMDMWywYT6
— Fatima (@Iamstewwpid) May 25, 2023
Charles Leclerc mocks himself for his ‘natural talent in football‘
Soon after the moment of his falling to the floor went viral all across social media, Charles Leclerc took to his Instagram account and hilariously mocked himself. He uploaded a picture of his faceplanting moment with the caption, “I’ve got a natural talent at football that very few have“.
HELP 😭 pic.twitter.com/PwGstOth1A
— clara (@leclercsletters) May 23, 2023
While Leclerc took this moment and his disappointing performance during the match on a lighter note, some fans were worried about the Monaco curse. Several fans such as Nini believe that the 25-year-old has a curse because of his disastrous performances at his home Grand Prix.
the monaco curse even transfers to other sports pic.twitter.com/EBeo2F4jS7
— nini (@SCUDERIAFEMBOY) May 23, 2023
Charles Leclerc’s Monaco curse:
• 2017 F2 — DNF, Suspension
• 2017 F2 — DNF, Electrical
• 2018 F1 — DNF, Brakes
• 2019 F1 — DNF, Puncture/Damage
• 2021 F1 — DNS, Left Driveshaft
• 2022 F1 — P4, botched strategy from poleLet’s hope for a clean race this year 🙏 pic.twitter.com/fMPfcnnu7j
— Ferrari News 🐎 (@FanaticsFerrari) May 22, 2023
Leclerc has competed in his home race (both F1 and F2) on six occasions, out of which he has just managed to finish the Grand Prix once. In his other five attempts, he has either had a DNF or a DNS. And most importantly, even in last year’s race when he finished fourth, it is pertinent to note that he led most of that race.