F1 News
Leclerc admits it was "difficult to lose like that" after Vettel undercut
- Nicolás Quarles van Ufford
After being denied a third consecutive win, Ferrari star Charles Leclerc admitted it was a hard pill to swallow for him that his teammate Sebastian Vettel undercut him to take the lead and eventually the win, as Leclerc finished in second to complete a Ferrari one-two.
After getting his fifth pole position of the season, Leclerc got away well at the start of the Grand Prix and looked set to claim his third victory in a row. However, when the pit window opened, Vettel was the first one to dive in for fresh rubber, which proved to be the right call as he was suddenly ahead of Leclerc when the Monegasque came in for his stop.
With Mercedes fluffing their lines tactically, it proved to be the race-deciding strategy call, and Leclerc was visibly and audibly frustrated with Ferrari. After the race, however, when interviewed by David Coulthard, he kept his composure.
"Obviously it is always difficult to lose a win like that but at the end it's a one-two for the team so I'm happy for that, our first of the season," the 21-year-old said.
"We came here hoping for a podium and came away with a one-two.
"I'm disappointed for me but I will come back stronger. It looks a lot more positive than expected, they've [the mechanics] done an amazing job.
"The strategy was fixed at the beginning I stuck to the plan, the most important was that we finished one-two."