Kieran is a freelance Formula 1 journalist for GPblog, covering breaking news, live race blogs and feature content across the F1 calendar. An NQJ-qualified journalist with more than a decade of experience, he has previously written for publications including MailOnline, the Manchester Evening News and the Eastern Daily Press.
Charles Leclerc has been quizzed on Lewis Hamilton's claim that he races his Ferrari teammate harder than the rest of the field.
The seven-time world champion made the claims while speaking to the media on Thursday, after feeling that Leclerc's attempt to pass him on the opening lap at the Mexico City Grand Prix cost Ferrari 1-2.
Hamilton also said that Leclerc was the same when he was teammates with Sebastian Vettel and Carlos Sainz at Ferrari. Asked whether he agreed with Hamilton’s assessment, Leclerc said he felt the subject had already received too much attention.
“I wouldn't want to comment on that. Honestly, there’s been way too many comments and again, way too much fuss about it for way too long,” Leclerc said. “I don’t really want to get into those kind of comments.”
Leclerc: 'Of course there is tension'
ADVERTISEMENT
Speaking to the media, including GPblog on Saturday after qualifying, Leclerc admitted there was 'tension' at Ferrari.
"Of course there is tension. Of course, we want to finish ahead of each other, and sometimes we are not going to do things right. It's okay sometimes to disagree on the way you see things. But at the same time, discussing about those [things] helps a whole lot.”
Asked if the drama had become bigger than it was, he replied: “I do believe that it stayed much longer than it should have, yes.”
Leclerc qualified fourth for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix during Saturday's wet qualifying session, but will be starting from 14th after being handed a 10-place grid penalty. His teammate Hamilton was also handed a 10-place grid penalty, but that was then increased to 70 places after a power unit issue in FP3. The seven-time world champion will still start in P20, ahead of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.
Read also
ADVERTISEMENT
Don’t miss GPblog in Google
Mark us as a preferred source and our articles will appear more often at the top of Top Stories.
Add as a preferred / source on Google