Austrian GP champ Charles Leclerc glad to ‘finally have a normal race on my side’

Charles Leclerc of Ferrari has been consistent in getting pole starts this season. He has led the grid in six of the 11 races. However, only two have them – Bahrain and Australia – have been converted to a victory. The Monaco driver was facing mounting tension with five F1 races without a podium spot when he finally sealed the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday. 

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It was Leclerc’s first victory since the Australian GP in April. After second place at the United States GP in May, Leclerc’s five races included two DNFs, two fourth places and one fifth. And the 24-year-old was smiling all through the post race press conference. 

His car showed speed but Leclerc had to overcome issues with his throttle to keep second-placed Max Verstappen at bay. 

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“I kept being optimistic, but obviously hard races after hard races it felt like everything was against me,” said Leclerc, who also won the Bahrain GP. “Finally we had a breakthrough and it really feels good to have a win again.”

Leclerc said it was “very stressful” as the throttle issue persisted.

“I definitely needed that win, the last five races have been incredibly difficult,” the Monaco driver said. “It’s great that we’re finally having a normal race on my side.”

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Fortune did not favour his teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. so much. The Spaniard, who was coming off his maiden F1 win from the British GP, was going for a potential second place finish when his engine blew. The Ferrari caught fire with Sainz inside. The driver was unharmed. 

Leclerc moved up to second overall but is still a distant 38 points behind Verstappen — 208 vs. 170 — with Red Bull’s Sergio Perez dropping to third. He retired after 26 of 71 laps after being hit on the opening lap when trying to overtake George Russell’s Mercedes.

Verstappen picked up a bonus point for fastest lap to go with the eight points he took by winning Saturday’s sprint race.