Charles Leclerc loses cool in foul-mouthed radio rant at British Grand Prix
The Ferrari driver will start Sunday’s race in sixth place but was fuming with himself after qualifying
Charles Leclerc swore repeatedly in a fiery outburst over team radio as his frustration boiled over after qualifying at the British Grand Prix.
The Ferrari driver had earlier in the day been the quickest on track in the final practice session and was a contender for pole position at Silverstone
But the Monegasque could only record the sixth-quickest time in Q3, triggering a foul-mouthed rant over radio.
“F*** that,” he said. “I am so f****** s***. So f****** s*** I am. I am so f****** s***. That’s all I am.”
Leclerc’s teammate Lewis Hamilton qualified fifth-fastest, while Max Verstappen put his Red Bull on pole ahead of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.
In the media pen afterwards, Leclerc acknowledged that his qualifying displays have been under-par so far this season.
“I’m not doing the job,” Leclerc said. “I think since the beginning of the season, I’ve been performing very well in the races.
“Looking back at races, there are actually not many races where I will go back to change something that I’ve done inside the car.
“Unfortunately, when I look back at qualifying — which used to be my strength — there are many qualifying(s) where I would like to go back and to change something, because every time I get to Q3, for some reason, it’s not clicking at the moment.
“We’ve had good qualifying(s), but we didn’t have great qualifying(s). And again, this used to be my strength, so I’m not happy with the level that I’m showing in qualifying.
“We’ve got issues for sure, particularly today from Q2 onwards. We were a bit fighting with something inside the car, but it’s not an excuse. I need to be better.”
The British Grand Prix starts at 3pm (BST) on Sunday.
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