Charles Leclerc had to deal with some ‘tricks’ from Mercedes during the Formula 1 Japanese GP. The Ferrari driver explained some tricks that the team and George Russel tried to apply in last Sunday’s (29) race.
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The Monegasque was the one who got the better of the fight for the bottom step of the podium in Suzuka against the Briton. The decisive move happened when George passed Charles at the last chicane, before getting overtaken back at Turn 1 at the start of the following lap.
Now with Ferrari on the podium in three consecutive races, Leclerc reflected on the battle and how Mercedes tried to deceive him with instructions transmitted by Russell’s engineer, Marcus Dudley, which were neutralized by the Monegasque’s Bryan Bozzi. “At some points, the contest was close, and they were being quite cheeky, because I think his engineer was passing information over the radio,” he said.
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“My engineer was telling me what his engineer was saying over the radio, but he was doing exactly the opposite, and that put a lot of pressure on me. At one point, I think they told me: ‘Oh, they’re telling him to use everything on the back straight’, or vice versa, or maybe on the main straight, and then, for four laps in a row, he did exactly the opposite,” he continued.
“So, I understood it quickly and managed to defend myself. But at one point, I was caught by surprise at the last corner, but it was a very fun race. Unfortunately, we were a bit unlucky because of the safety car at the wrong time. I don’t think it would have changed our race significantly, but it certainly made our second stint a bit more difficult,” he added.
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