"I'm not gonna speak": Charles Leclerc furious at Yuki Tsunoda during the F1 Canadian GP qualifying

Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve was host to a myriad of instances where drivers tripped over each other, and one such incident involved Charles Leclerc and Yuki Tsunoda during the F1 Canadian GP qualifying. The Monegasque was seemingly held up by the Red Bull driver, which left the former infuriated due to Tsunoda's actions on Saturday, June 14.

Pirelli's C6 soft tire had been a gamble for many. Not everyone was able to make use of the softest rubber compound due to its tendency to heat up during qualifying laps.

This laid importance on drivers getting in clean laps and not being hindered by their fellow gridmates on their way to set up respectable lap times. However, Isack Hadjar seemingly set up a trend for the Red Bull pool of drivers as the Frenchman had initially had a major impeding incident with Williams' Carlos Sainz.

The Spaniard did not make it through to Q2, with his small clash with the Racing Bulls being at the forefront of the reasons. Moreover, Yuki Tsunoda picked up the motion and had his own incident with Leclerc out on track.

The 27-year-old had been the early pace-setter in the session and was so frustrated with Tsunoda wandering onto his path, he preferred to remain tight-lipped over the radio, as he said to his team during Q2:

"What? What…I’m not gonna speak."

Meanwhile, the Monegasque qualified eighth for the 2025 Canadian Grand Prix after showing signs of early promise over the weekend.

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What was the main culprit behind Charles Leclerc's botched qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix?

Charles Leclerc after the qualifying for the F1 Grand Prix of Canada - Source: Getty

Charles Leclerc has been the lead driver at Ferrari since the 2025 season started. Though this notion was already in motion, the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve has been kind to Lewis Hamilton over the years.

The Briton has won seven races at the track, and most importantly, his maiden Grand Prix victory in 2007. So, the 4.361-kilometer track saw Hamilton get back to one of his best performances this season as he qualified P5 for the Grand Prix.

On the other hand, the same cannot be said for Charles Leclerc. The eight-time race winner has only secured a solitary podium at the street track back in 2019.

Ferrari's pace and his luck do not seem to present an opportunity where he could add another podium to this tally. But what was the problem that held back the Monegasque's qualifying session?

Largely, it was the dirty air coming off the cars ahead of him as he was troubled by traffic throughout the qualifying session, as he said over the team radio after Q3 was over.

"Fuck! This fucking dirty air!" Leclerc said.

Meanwhile, George Russell would start on pole for the second time in a row at the Canadian Grand Prix and he would be paired with his nemesis, Max Verstappen on the front row.