Explained: why Leclerc had to leave post-race press conference after only 5 minutes

Amid the celebrations in the McLaren garage for yet another 1-2 finish this season, and the media storm sparked by the late-race collision between Max Verstappen and George Russell, the Spanish Grand Prix continued to surprise even after the on-track action had ended. One such moment came during the traditional post-race press conference, featuring Charles Leclerc — who secured third place at the finish, following up on his runner-up result at his home race in Monaco.

The Monegasque driver was involved in a minor collision with Max Verstappen during the restart after the Safety Car period, while overtaking on the main straight. The incident occurred after the Dutchman lost the rear of his RB21 coming out of the final corner.

As a result, the Barcelona stewards launched an investigation and summoned the Ferrari driver after the race to discuss the incident and assess whether any penalties were warranted.

The curious incident that sparked laughter among social media users was that Leclerc had to leave the press conference after only five minutes because he was called back by race control at that very moment.

The remaining part of the press conference was then led by the two McLaren drivers, who exchanged a quick smile as they said goodbye to Leclerc.