Zandvoort – Charles Leclerc on Thursday asked for a clear rule prohibiting drivers from throwing visor “tear-offs” onto the track during races, after his dreams of winning in Belgium were dashed by Max Verstappen’s disqualification.
The Ferrari driver made it plain to reporters before to this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix, the second of three races that will conclude the European portion of this year’s championship, that he did not blame his competitor.
Last weekend, a piece of debris thrown by the world champion and series leader of Red Bull made its way into a Ferrari’s brake duct, causing the brakes to overheat.
This resulted in an unexpected early pit stop, which destroyed Leclerc’s aspirations for a critically needed win.
Verstappen won easily from 14th on the grid to extend his championship lead over Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez by 93 points and Leclerc by 98.
The 24-year-old Monegasque driver emphasized, “Obviously, I am not furious with Max in any way.”
“Clearly, it’s not the drivers’ responsibility… However, we may be able to discover a method to preserve these tear-offs in the automobile if we look into it.”
Several drivers removed their tear-offs on the first lap of the race on Sunday as a result of fluids and dust being blown off the tarmac as a result of crashes, including those involving Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso.
In addition to causing an issue with Leclerc’s brakes, Verstappen’s tear-off rendered a sensor in Leclerc’s vehicle inoperable, resulting in a violation of the pit-lane speed restriction and a five-second penalty that dropped him from fifth to sixth.
Leclerc added: “It would be beneficial to find a solution since, in that circumstance, I believe someone was leaking oil or whatever, and I could not see anything through my visor.
“None of the drivers in front of me could see through their visors.
“The first chance we had to launch the tear-off was on this straight, so I found myself with tear-offs flying everywhere; in that situation, a driver has little control.”
Tear-offs “may not be thrown needlessly into the track or pit lane,” however despite a 2016 emphasis on the regulation, it has not been enforced.
“I suppose there were reasons why this regulation was not enforced that I am unaware of, but maybe there were other options. I’m not sure.”
Leclerc kept a glimmer of confidence over his championship challenge, but maintained a pragmatic perspective.
He said, “I do not know how many points separate Max and I.” “I quit counting, although there are a large number of points.
“Now, we’ll take it one race at a time, see what’s feasible, and if there’s a pleasant surprise at the end of the year, that’s great!”
He continued, in reference to the constructors’ championship: “There remains plenty to strive for, including second place in the championship. Therefore, I will generally persist to the finish.”
His teammate Carlos Sainz, who finished third on Sunday, was more optimistic on his and Ferrari’s future.
“Spain was a perfect illustration of how drastically a bad weekend can alter the view of F1,” he remarked. “I do not believe we are as terrible as it seems, and I am certain we can regain our form and battle again for victory.
“Without a doubt, Red Bull have upped the bar a little, race after race, but it seems like just yesterday that we dominated them in Austria.”
AFP
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