Charles Leclerc: Last News

Max Verstappen has seen his hopes of retaining his crown issued a huge blow due to emerging reports of Red Bull's vast spending which pushes them very close to the budget cap.

LIVE – Updated at 17:11Follow live news and reaction as Formula One takes in the results of the inaugural Miami Grand Prix, where Max Verstappen held off a late charge from Charles Leclerc to win and close the gap to the Ferrari driver at the top of the championship standings. All the focus is now to Spain next week, with the Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Verstappen has now won the last two races, with Red Bull responding to Ferrari’s fast start and now threatening to leave their rivals behind.

Max Verstappen has expressed his concern about the reliability of his Red Bull this season, dubbing the campaign so far 'hit and miss'.The Dutch driver has a remarkable record of winning every race he has completed this season, taking victory on three occasions and suffering two DNF's, which occurred in the opening three rounds of the season and saw Ferrari's Charles Leclerc open up an early 40-point advantage.That deficit is now significantly less following back-to-back wins for Verstappen, who now sits just 19 points behind his rival, but he has admitted he still isn't entirely convinced about the car he has been given by Red Bull.Verstappen's involvement in Friday's practice sessions were limited due to a hydraulic leak, while teammate Sergio Perez had an issue in Sunday's race that resulted in a loss of 30 horsepower and left him unable to secure a podium finish. That all leaves Verstappen in an uncomfortable position as he's made it clear there's work still to do, stating: "We're still having a few issues we have to solve.

Formula One fans in stitches with his trackside video at the Miami Grand Prix in what was one of the most bizarre crossover events of the years.Bourgeois shot to fame on Instagram and TikTok for his videos trainspotting, with a front-facing camera giving fans a unique view to his reactions to seeing trains zoom past on the track.In Miami, Bourgeois took in the sights of a different sort of track at the Miami Grand Prix but still utilised the front-facing camera - which even got worn by McLaren's Lando Norris when the pair met.In a video shared by the official Formula One Twitter account, Bourgeois says he's at his first ever Grand Prix, taking place in Miami, then shooting video of the cars racing around the track and his reaction - and even got himself on the podium before the likes of Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc managed to.The crossover proved to be extremely popular among the fans with @F1_Steady declaring: "I speak for everyone when I say Francis can be welcomed to every GP," while @LeclercVZN added: "Couldn't have invited a nicer guy than him, love it."@xkatehewitt requested the camera be used by Sky Sports' pitlane reporter Ted Kravitz, saying: 'Petition to get Ted wearing the head cam in the pit lane' and @SingularityJosh said: 'Francis is such a wholesome bean.

LIVE – Updated at 17:05Charles Leclerc put his Ferrari on pole position for the inaugural Miami Grand Prix as F1 hit Florida with qualifying on Saturday. The championship leader kept his cool in the searing 33 degree heat, with Carlos Sainz completing an all-Ferrari front row. Max Verstappen blew his chances of claiming his second pole in as many grands prix when he made a mistake on his final run.

F1 into the attention of a wealth of new fans.While Verstappen has shied away from the Netflix cameras in the most recent season, fans will be lapping up the opportunity to see the Red Bull drive in action and he himself is expecting big things when Formula One mania hits Florida and he's outlined his expectations."I think this weekend is going to be pretty crazy! I'm looking forward to racing in Miami, I've driven the track on the simulator and we've practiced and prepared as much as we can without visiting the track in real life," he said ahead of the race weekend."I love racing in Austin, so it's fun that we get to go to another state and race this year. It's exciting to see Formula 1 getting much bigger in the US.

Formula One this season.After a slow start to the season, McLaren showed significant growth across the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix weekend with strong qualifying and finish in the Sprint - though their two drivers would encounter different fortunes in Sunday's race.While Norris was able to secure a podium, benefitting from a late spin from Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, Daniel Ricciardo had an afternoon to forget after an early collision with Carlos Sainz left him at the back of the pack and out of the fight for points. McLaren went toe-to-toe with Ferrari for the 'best of the rest' tag in Formula One for the majority of last season but have encountered difficulties equalling their rivals' pace so far this term, though Fittipaldi believes that's set to change."I think McLaren, talking to Zak Brown, McLaren is working hard to develop. The new rules, the new car, I think they've improved.

George Russell following comments made after the Sprint at Imola.The British driver criticised the proceedings in Saturday's event as 'processional', despite being heralded for its entertainment by many as Max Verstappen overtook Charles Leclerc late on - providing the platform for his race victory on Sunday.Mercedes continued to struggle across the weekend, however, with both Russell and Lewis Hamilton starting outside the top 10 on the grid, though the former charged his way through the pack to secure an excellent fourth-place finish.Had Mercedes started higher on the grid, that performance could have been even better and Russell stated after the Sprint that the event was not long enough and suggested an extension to the distance following 'processional' proceedings.Those comments were quickly batted away by F1 director Brawn though, who stated Russell's comments were 'not really what we listen to' and instead indicated that the views of drivers higher up the grid would see their thoughts carry more weight.Naturally, that caused quite a stir and Brawn has now moved to clarify his remarks, pointing out the fact that drivers often complain when things don't quite go in their favour and made it clear the views of all drivers would be considered."I just know from my own experience that psychologically, a driver at the back of the grid has got all sorts of other things going on.HAVE YOUR SAY! Was the Sprint race at Imola better than standard qualifying? Comment below."It would be great if there were things going on at the back but we had a Mercedes that couldn't overtake the cars in front, but there was plenty of overtaking going on in the middle and up the front. Of course, we will listen.

Red Bull's title battle with Ferrari will be 'super-competitive' throughout the course of the season, with the result at Imola seeing the gap closed.Red Bull secured a rare 1-2 finish in Ferrari's home race, with Max Verstappen easing his way to victory ahead of Sergio Perez and McLaren's Lando Norris taking the final spot on the podium following Charles Leclerc's late error.The championship leader was chasing down Perez on soft tyres as he looked to increase his points tally and decrease the dent Verstappen was set to put on his advantage but suffered as a late spin led him to require another pit and a new front wing.Leclerc exited the pits in ninth and, while he took three places back to finish sixth, it resulted in a day to forget for Ferrari - with Carlos Sainz' race lasting just a few corners before contact with Daniel Ricciardo led to another unfinished race for the Spaniard.The result has rejuvenated Verstappen's title defence, having failed to finish two of the first three races, but Horner believes it's just one twist in a long and winding battle between the two teams that will last the entirety of the season."Ferrari has a great car, with great drivers, they've been unlucky in this race. They're going to be super-competitive in two weeks' time [in Miami] and I think it's going to be like that all season."Red Bull's points haul was made even more important following Leclerc's late spin, following on from Carlos Sainz' exit on the first lap, and Horner assessed that the mistake from the championship leader came because he was 'too greedy'.HAVE YOUR SAY! Who will emerge victorious in the hunt for the title? Comment below."He [Leclerc] was pushing very hard all race.

Ferrari team after a late mistake at Imola gave Lando Norris a gifted podium finish, while Red Bull closed the gap in the battle for the titles.The Monegasques driver started second on the grid for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix but was quickly overtaken by Sergio Perez, who kept the championship leader at bay to leave Max Verstappen with a comfortable drive to victory.Leclerc had a late push to try and snatch second off Perez, opting for another pit change and soft tyres as he also attempted to clinch an additional point for the fastest lap of the race, but a costly error changed the picture completely.In his continued pursuit of Perez, Leclerc spun at Variante Alta after taking too much of the kerb in the entrance to the corner and required another pit change to replace a damaged front wing - re-entering the race in ninth position.While Leclerc was able to work his way up the grid to overtake three cars and finish sixth, it was far from what he would have wanted and he took to social media following the conclusion of the race to issue an apology to the Ferrari team and it's supporters.“I gave it all but went over the limit at the end. Sorry to the team and to all the tifosi that supports us.

Mercedes are struggling this season, with the Italian team managing to cope with similar issues.The latest changes to the Formula One regulations for the 2022 season have seen a number of teams encounter 'porpoising' issues that have seen drivers violently bouncing down the track - with floors of the cars being damaged on some occasions.Those issues have led to a disastrous start to the season for Mercedes, who have been unable to find a fix and have been significantly off the pace from title-chasing duo Ferrari and Red Bull - despite the former encountering their own issues.However, while 'porpoising' has decimated Mercedes' pace, Ferrari have still been able to compete - with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz the top two in the Driver's Championship, while the Prancing Horse lead the way in the Constructor's.Binotto was quizzed why other teams have been unable to counter their issues and admitted he wasn't sure, stating: "I don't know why the others are not as quick as we are with porpoising, but it's true that we are still suffering with it."We put some actions on the car to try to mitigate it, but it's not yet addressed and solved.

Max Verstappen's complaints on Friday.The Red Bull driver completed a late surge to overtake Ferrari's Charles Leclerc at the first Sprint of the 2022 season at Imola on Saturday, picking up eight points in the process after the increased rewards were added for the new campaign.That puts the defending champion in the prime spot for Sunday's race as he seeks to close the gap on early pacesetter Leclerc, having suffered two retirements in the opening three rounds of the season, and Red Bull's performance at Imola will have raised optimism.However, Verstappen has made his feelings on the addition of the Sprint in Formula One clear and reaffirmed his belief in this week's press conference by stating: “Personally I'm not a fan of the sprint but it is what it is… some like it some don't. I think it's more how we are doing the press conference and the media activities, I think it was better before."Unfortunately for Verstappen, Formula One directors see things differently and are keen to increase the number of Sprint events on the calendar for the 2023 season, with Brawn confirming the intention to double the number to six ahead of discussions with teams next week.“On Tuesday we want to discuss increasing it to six, so we'd like to have six races next year.

George Russell's claims that the first Sprint of the 2022 season at Imola was 'processional'.Max Verstappen emerged victorious ahead of Charles Leclerc, while Mercedes continued to be way off the pace and finished outside of the top 10 - with Lewis Hamilton already writing off his team's title chances this season.While the Sprint was heralded for it's entertainment, with Red Bull's Verstappen overtaking his Ferrari counterpart on the final laps to seal victory and maximum points, those views were not shared by Russell. The British driver stated after the event that it was a 'processional', suggesting the Sprint was not long enough to lead to true competitiveness - despite the overtaking from the likes of Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren during the 21 laps at Imola.Those comments were presented to F1 director Ross Brawn, who appeared to issue a dig at Mercedes' struggles so far this season by stating the opinions of the drivers towards the front of the grid would carry the most weight.“Whenever my driver’s had a bad car he’s complained about the race.

Formula One title-chaser Charles Leclerc has admitted he 'hated' defending world champion Max Verstappen during the pair's karting days.The two young drivers have a deep history racing against one another, with that rivalry set to come to a head once again in the 2022 season as the pair battle for the title.Two retirements in the opening three races of the season have left Verstappen well adrift of Leclerc in the standings, though the pair are on much better terms than they once were. In fact, Leclerc admits that their rivalry was once so fierce that the pair despised each other - with the two drivers both competing for a spot in F1.“It’s always been very close, especially in the junior categories.

Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc have united with their criticism of the schedule for this weekend's Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.The first European race of the season also sees 2022's first Sprint Qualifying session, the first of three venues this season to utilise the format.Introduced last season, the Sprint was brought into the sport to provide more competitiveness over the entirety of the race weekend - with all three days seeing the drivers go head-to-head on the track.For this weekend's Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, that means just one-hour of practice on an incredibly wet track before Friday afternoon's qualifying session - which decides where cars will sit on the grid for Saturday's Sprint.The results of Saturday's Sprint then decide the grid for the Grand Prix on Sunday, meaning a single incident can ruin an entire weekend.Both Verstappen and Leclerc have made it clear they're not a fan of the format, which sees driver's at the track on Thursday for media activities, with the former stating the changes are not welcome.“Personally I'm not a fan of the sprint but it is what it is… some like it some don't. I think it's more how we are doing the press conference and the media activities, I think it was better before."“Coming in early is not a problem but your whole day is longer, going to more races you would like to have a shorter weekend.

Formula One star Charles Leclerc’s stock is rising in the sport and with that enhanced reputation comes the unwanted side of fame, after he had his luxury watch stolen on Monday.The Ferrari driver was in the Tuscan city of Viareggio with his friends and trainer, Andrea Ferrari, on Easter Monday when the incident occurred. Local reports in the region claim Leclerc had his prized Richard Mille watch worth $320,000 (£246,000) taken from him after being surrounded by fans.The 24-year-old, who was in Tuscany ahead of this weekend’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola, was recognised by a group of people when he entered Via Salvatori at around 10pm and they proceeded to approach the Monegasque.

Ferrari are prioritising Charles Leclerc over the Spaniard amid a contract standoff that is developing with the Spaniard and his team, claims former driver Ralf Schumacher.Sainz currently sits third in the Driver's Championship, despite having to retire last time out at the Australian Grand Prix, in what has been a stellar start to the 2022 for Ferrari - with Leclerc leading the way at the top of the standings.However, Schumacher believes Sainz won't be happy with Ferrari's approach, with Leclerc widely being considered to the number one driver. As a result issues could come to a head amid reports that a contract standoff is brewing.F1 Insider claim that Sainz is seeking a two-year contract with Ferrari, whereas the Italian side are only prepared to offer a one-year deal with an option of a further year.

Charles Leclerc 'couldn't handle his anger' in his previous battles with Max Verstappen but now has 'full mental control' as the fight for the Formula 1 title develops, Dr Riccardo Ceccarelli has stated.The Monegasques has enjoyed a fine start to the 2022 season, winning the opening race in Bahrain and emerging victorious last time out in Australia - already boasting a whopping 46-point advantage over defending champion Verstappen, who has failed to finish two of the three races so far this season.The start to the campaign has reignited Leclerc's rivalry with Verstappen, with the pair having raced against one another since their time in the junior ranks. And their battle hit boiling point at the age of 14 in an incident that saw both drivers disqualified.However Ceccarelli, who is head of Formula Medicine and has worked with Leclerc since he was 14, has now stated that he has control over his anger.

Lewis Hamilton cannot accept playing second fiddle to George Russell at Mercedes and is already thinking of switching Formula One teams, according to Mika Hakkinen.Having been narrowly pipped for the 2021 drivers’ title by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen last season, Hamilton is now being forced to adjust to a very different type of racing. The 37-year-old is fifth in the drivers’ standings after three races, nine points behind his Mercedes team-mate Russell.Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc is currently well clear at the top of the standings, with Hamilton having finished third, 10th and fourth in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Australia respectively. Mercedes’ cars have been struggling with technical issues during the first races of the season and two-time world champion Hakkinen thinks Hamilton is “annoyed by the situation”.

Formula One pundit Ted Kravitz drank a shoe full of beer at the Australian Grand Prix.Footage showed the British reporter, 48, coming under peer pressure from the crowd to try what’s called a ‘shoey.' The concept involves pouring beer into a shoe and then proceeding to drink all of its contents.At Albert Park, Kravitz initially said that he would not do it - but then with the cameras rolling and the crowd around him becoming more fervent, he asked: "So who's shoe am I using then?" A Celtic fan then took his trainer off and it was filled with beer before being handed to Kravitz. Indeed, the Sky Sports reporter gladly obliged, gulping the beverage live on air with cheers from the bystanders watching on.

Max Verstappen slammed Charles Leclerc over "unfair" moves a decade before petulantly hitting out at the Ferrari driver once again.Verstappen lost his cool at Leclerc during the closing stages of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Sunday. After he passed his title rival with four laps remaining, a yellow flag allowed the Monegasque racer to close the gap.That infuriated the Dutchman, who, not for the first time in the race, hopped on the radio to complain.