Leclerc expresses regret for 'stupid crash' that led to red flag in Montreal

Speaking to F1 TV, Leclerc said, “I feel sorry for the whole team because that's never something you want. It was a very stupid crash.”

Around 15 minutes into the first session of the Friday, the Monegasque driver hit the wall in Turn 3. “I had a lock-up. I thought I would make the corner. I knew I would go in the grass, but I thought that was enough to not touch the wall. Unfortunately, when I ended up in the grass, I understood that there was no room anymore.”

He admitted, “It's just a misjudgment, but a misjudgment that cost a lot because then the way the wheel has touched the chassis, basically cracked the chassis, and we cannot use two chassis on the same day, so that meant basically the whole day not in the car.”

Leclerc crashed very early on during FP1, thus only allowing him to do very few laps.

Leclerc continued, “We were very competitive at that time, for whatever it's worth, because obviously it was only the third lap of the day, but that doesn't hurt my confidence and I'm sure that it won't hurt my weekend at all.”

When asked about the importance of FP3, since he missed out on so much during FP1 and FP2, he said, “I'm sure I'll be up to speed in qualifying. How competitive we will be is another matter, that we will have to see, but I'm sure that personally I'll be 100%.”