Charles Leclerc: Max deserved to win

Charles Leclerc’s pursuit of the championship title in 2022 ended in Suzuka. After the race, he told about his feelings…  

Question: Charles, how did you react to the five-second penalty after the finish? 

Charles Leclerc: I have nothing to say. I made a mistake and wanted to minimize the losses somehow. I didn't know it was the last lap, but a five–second penalty is a common solution in such situations.

Question: You had a good pace at the restart, but then you lagged more and more… 

Charles Leclerc: Yes, we were very fast for four or five laps, but the race lasted much longer. Then I just tried to get to the finish line.

The front tires lost efficiency, Sergio was seriously pressing from behind, it was becoming more and more difficult to restrain him. At the end of the race I made a mistake – we really had a difficult time. 

Question: At the start, you fought side by side with Max in the first corner… 

Charles Leclerc: Yes, it was fun. We were driving almost closely. It didn't last too long, but it was great.

Question: What can you say about Max and his championship title? 

Charles Leclerc: Sincere congratulations to Max and Red Bull. They've done a great job this year. Max was incredible, fully deserving of this success. 

In the four remaining races, we want to gather as much information as possible that will help us improve next season, make us stronger – and help impose a tighter fight on our rivals.

Question: At some point a tractor appeared on the highway… 

Charles Leclerc: This should not happen in principle. We remember what happened in 2014, and now we have to draw conclusions. When you drive first in such conditions, something else is visible, and when you are behind other cars, nothing is visible. When you are driving at high speed along the highway, trying to see at least something, a stationary tractor standing on it can lead to a serious tragedy. 

Question: What do you think can be done in a situation when it's raining and the fans want to see the race? 

Charles Leclerc: The main problem now is poor visibility. If we do something that will reduce the amount of spray behind the car, it will help a lot. It often happens that the condition of the track allows for a race, but with almost zero visibility, it is very dangerous. We need to find a solution to reduce the water plume behind the machines.