“It was coming” – Listen to Valtteri Bottas and Mercedes race engineer discuss Charles Leclerc “conveniently” crashing in Monaco qualifying, resulting in a Red Flag and a much-awaited pole for Ferrari.
For once, the talk in the Formula 1 world is not about Lewis Hamilton vs Max Verstappen. Instead, after yesterday’s Monaco GP qualifying, it is now Charles Leclerc vs Max Verstappen + Valtteri Bottas + Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz + (potentially) Lewis Hamilton.
If you have been living under a rock, Leclerc saw his SF21 crash – deliberately or others – near the Swimming Pool complex in Monte Carlo, just as Q3 was heading towards timeout, causing a Red Flag. Leclerc was leading the time charts then and secured a historic pole position in his homeland.
Unsurprising, it broke the internet, with claims of ‘Crashgate 2.0’ all over Twitter and the social media world at large. Leclerc found unexpected support in the form of Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, but rivals Max Verstappen and Valtteri Bottas were relatively less forgiving, the Red Bull launching a tirade of team radio.
crashgate pt.2
— zack (@zacktriplek) May 22, 2021
Bottas’ full radio communication after Leclerc Monaco crash
Speaking of team radio, Valtteri Bottas and his Mercedes race engineer seemed to suggest Leclerc deliberately crashed his Ferrari on the exit of Turn 16. The latter went on to use the word “conveniently”, which will no about be a goldmine for Netflix’s Drive to Survive producers.
Mercedes race engineer: Red Flag. Red Flag. Keep the delta positive. So Leclerc Crashed It Conveniently Exit of 16.
Valtteri Bottas: Well that… Well… It was coming.
MRE: So he’s on pole. Verstappen P2. You are P3.
VB: That lap was gonna be it.
MRE: Yeah unlucky Valtteri, but great job.
VB: I was so ready.
Read more F1 Monaco GP 2021 Race Live Stream & Telecast: When and where to watch the historic Grand Prix race?
