"He got a little bit too greedy" - Red Bull boss says Charles Leclerc 'lucky to finish' the 2022 F1 Imola GP after spin

Christian Horner feels Charles Leclerc was a bit too greedy while trying to overtake Sergio Perez
Christian Horner feels Charles Leclerc was a bit too greedy while trying to overtake Sergio Perez

Charles Leclerc was lucky to finish the race in sixth position at Imola, according to Red Bull boss Christian Horner. The Ferrari driver was chasing Sergio Perez late in the race but ended up making a mistake, spinning off the track and damaging his front wing.

According to the Red Bull boss, the Monegasque perhaps got too greedy in the race which ended up costing him dearly. He said:

“He was pushing very hard all race. You could see at the top of the hill, I think Turn 14, at the chicane, that was the one part of the track that he was consistently quicker than Checo [Sergio Perez]. It just looked like he got a little bit too greedy on that Soft tyre, but mistakes can happen. He was actually lucky to finish the race and obviously still get sixth-place points (8 points). It was a bonus for us that we were able to take a few more points off [Ferrari] with him not finishing on the podium.”

Leclerc qualified P2 for the Imola GP but fell behind Perez due to a bad start. The Ferrari driver tried to chase down the Mexican throughout the race and finally had the opportunity with the soft tires in the last stint, which is when he spun.


Charles Leclerc was trying to get within the DRS zone of Sergio Perez: Christian Horner

According to Christian Horner, Charles Leclerc was trying to get within the DRS zone of Sergio Perez to make the pass. Claiming that the driver probably pushed too hard in trying to do so at that particular corner, the Briton said:

“I think he was trying to get in the DRS zone of Checo. To do that, you needed to be really quick over that chicane, to get into the DRS detection zone, before the last couple of corners. That was obviously what he was trying to get within.”

The spin forced Leclerc to pit with a broken front wing and a change of tires. The Ferrari driver was able to climb his way back up to the sixth position but still ended up conceding as many as 17 points during the weekend to Verstappen.

In the championship standings after the Imola GP, Charles Leclerc still leads Max Verstappen by 29 points heading to the Miami GP.

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