Charles Leclerc takes a subtle dig at George Russell for being the one who always complains while racing

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc reflected on George Russell's behavior after the two were tangled in a close battle for the final place on the podium during the 2025 F1 Hungarian GP. Leclerc also hinted that it was common for Russell to complain about other drivers during a race.

Starting on pole, Leclerc was poised to win around the Hungaroring. However, an issue with his car midway saw him drop places. He was then involved in a strong battle with Russell for P3. During the strong battle, there was seemingly a moment when Leclerc moved under braking, which turned out to be a close call for the drivers.

Russell reported this back to his team multiple times. Reviewing the incident, Leclerc mentioned that he guessed Russell would have been "vocal" on the radio after the battle.

"I knew I was on the limit," Charles Leclerc said via Planet F1. "I don’t have much [of an] opinion about it. I felt like I moved before braking and then I braked, obviously angling my car towards the apex, which is normally what I do."

"But I can imagine George being quite vocal on the radio, it’s normally the case."

Russell, meanwhile, had his own take on the entire incident.

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George Russell on "dicey" battle with Charles Leclerc

This was an important podium for Mercedes, considering they're in a battle with Ferrari for second place in the Constructors' Championship. Reflecting on the tough on-track battle with Leclerc, Russell mentioned that it was "dicey", and also claimed that they possibly made contact during one of his attacks.

"It was a bit dicey with Charles at some point!," Russell said via F1. "It’s one of those when you sort of commit to a bit of a divebomb, if the driver in front moves, you’re already right on the limit of grip and there’s not much room for manoeuvre."

"I think we made contact on the second time, but just glad to get through it. It’s a nice way to go into the break. It’s definitely better than the races we’ve had so far, so I’m really pleased with that."

This has been a tough season for Ferrari so far. However, Charles Leclerc has brought the team up to the podium on four different occasions. His teammate Lewis Hamilton, who has struggled with the car, also won the Sprint in China. These results have helped them hold on to second place in the Constructors' Championship so far in the season.