Charles Leclerc takes swipe at Sergio Perez as new audio emerges from Singapore
Photo: Red Bull Content Pool
Ben Hunt is an award-winning motorsport journalist with over two decades of experience in Formula 1 and international media. As a former editor-in-chief and bestselling author, he delivers in-depth analysis and strategic insight from the highest level of the sport.
Charles Leclerc aimed a sarcastic dig at Sergio Perez over team radio after the Cadillac driver delayed his pursuit of Max Verstappen during the Singapore Grand Prix.
Leclerc finished second at Marina Bay, 7.3 seconds behind Verstappen, but his efforts to close the gap were interrupted when he encountered the lapped Perez in the closing stages.
Radio exchanges reveal how Perez was warned about the approaching Ferrari before eventually allowing Leclerc through on lap 57.
The delay prompted Leclerc to reference Perez’s four seasons alongside Verstappen at Red Bull, asking: “Is Perez still driving for Red Bull?”
Perez told to let Leclerc through
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Perez’s race engineer, Carlo Pasetti, first alerted him to the Ferrari on lap 56: “Car behind is Leclerc, 3.8.”
A further instruction followed as the Cadillac approached Turn 11 on the next lap: “Manage late throttle slips out of corner 11. Blue flags for Leclerc.”
Pasetti then added: “OK, let him go.”
Perez finally allowed Leclerc past at the exit of the Turn 13 hairpin, but the Ferrari driver was already frustrated by the interruption to his chase.
While Leclerc’s remark pointed to Perez’s former Red Bull connection, it was not evidence of any deliberate attempt to help Verstappen.
Leclerc left wanting more despite second place
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The podium did not entirely satisfy Leclerc, who felt Ferrari had been closer to Red Bull than anticipated.
“Happy, but not super happy,” he said in the post-race press conference. “Today in the race, Max had a bit more pace than we did, which was expected, but we were maybe a little bit closer than what we expected as well.”
Leclerc added that he had continued to believe victory was possible until the closing stages, although Verstappen ultimately remained out of reach.
Ferrari’s other car endured a more difficult finish. Lewis Hamilton missed the pit entry during the Virtual Safety Car period and subsequently stayed out, with Fred Vasseur defending Ferrari’s instructions after the race while Hamilton took responsibility for his Singapore GP strategy mistake.
Early Verstappen opportunity went begging
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Leclerc also reflected on a potential opening in the first three laps, when Verstappen experienced a deployment issue.
The Ferrari driver initially believed the problem was a one-off and held back his own battery deployment. By the time he realised the Red Bull was losing power at the end of the straight, he felt it was too late to respond.
Even so, Leclerc stopped short of suggesting that exploiting the issue would have secured victory.
“Maybe, of course, for the first stint it would have helped, but I think eventually they just had too much pace for us,” he admitted.
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