Always rivals, never enemies. This now seems to be the common thread of the relationship that binds Max Verstappen And Charles Leclerc, the two great protagonists of this splendid 2022 World Championship challenge. A paradigm of confrontation that appears completely different from the no holds barred battle experienced last year between Verstappen himself and Lewis Hamilton. Even in France, up until the time of Leclerc’s retirement, the Dutch and the Monegasque gave birth to an exciting confrontation, with the Ferrari driver defending the leadership and the reigning world champion aggressive behind him in an attempt to find the right passage. Then, after the Red Bull rider’s first pit stop, the # 16 mistake arrived.
Leclerc lost control of the car in the section following the Signes corner and ended up against the protective barriers in a – apparently – rather heavy manner. A ‘mistake driver’ as Leclerc himself admitted in front of journalists, who at first caused concern for the dynamics of the impact. Verstappen himself, who passed the scene of the accident a few moments later, showed great fair play towards the friend-rival, inquiring immediately about his health conditions. The brief exchange with his track engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, shows how the Dutchman was genuinely worried about the crash of the Ferrari driver, who fortunately came out unscathed from the impact with the barriers.
Lambiase: “Safety car on the Max track, Safety car”.
Verstappen [transitando nel punto dell’incidente]: “Oh f ** k! He is fine?”.
Lambiase: “Yes, they told me it’s ok Max. Thanks for asking.”
#Verstappen #fair #play #Leclerc #FormulaPassion.it