Leclerc admits battle with Verstappen was “a bit on the limit”

Charles Leclerc will start the Austrian Grand Prix from second place, after fending off his team-mate during the Sprint race. As a result of finishing second, Leclerc scored seven-points and will once again line-up alongside Max Verstappen.

The title rivals had a short battle early-on, with Leclerc having his eyes set on taking the win from the Dutchman. In the end though, all Leclerc’s attempt at going for the lead did was introduce Carlos Sainz Jr into the fight, which ultimately led to Verstappen escaping.

The Scuderia Ferrari duo then battled for several laps, almost coming together on a number of occasions. Leclerc managed to keep the confidence-fueled Spaniard behind for the entirety of the Sprint, to finish the short race from where he started it.

Leclerc enjoyed the battles with his team-mate; however, the Monegasque driver wasn’t a fan of his fight with the 2021 World Champion.

“I had a pretty good start. First, we had a battle with Max (Verstappen), which was a bit on the limit. Then Carlos overtook me but I regained my position in turn 4. I just focused on managing my tyres for the first few laps so that we could push more towards the end.

“It was a good plan, as we picked up pace and I felt good with the tyres. We lost a little time in the battles, but it was fun and I don’t think it changed much in terms of the overall outcome today. Tyre management will be key in tomorrow’s race and I think it could be an exciting one.”

“We are all very close at the front” – Carlos Sainz Jr

Sainz battled hard at the Red Bull Ring, and did appear early-on to have better pace than his team-mate. The Spanish driver did on one occasion get past Leclerc, with an audacious dive at Turn Three.

Due to the divebomb, Sainz’ exit from the corner was poor, allowing Leclerc back past. This brought an end to the duo’s fight, with the Spaniard having to let his battery recover.

Despite missing out on second, Sainz is aware that Sunday is when the “real race” takes place.

“It was good racing today, especially the first few laps battling with Max and Charles. At the start there was an opportunity to get Max at turn 3 and I went for it, but I couldn’t make it stick around the outside. After the initial laps, I then had to let the tyres and the battery recover, before getting back into my rhythm and that was pretty much it for today.

“Tomorrow is the real race and we’ll be starting all over again in the same positions. We are all very close at the front and the fight will be tight. Our rivals seemed to have a bit more pace today but we’ll do our best to challenge them tomorrow.”

Credit: Scuderia Ferrari Press Office