Palmer: "Almost perfect drive" for Charles Leclerc when it was "harder than most"

Former Formula 1 driver Jolyon Palmer has heaped the praise on Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc after an "almost perfect drive" at the Belgian Grand Prix when it "tougher than most" for the young Monegasque driver.

The world of motorsport was brought to a sudden hault on Saturday, after the tragic death of Anthoine Hubert, who was involved in a horrific crash, leaving fellow Formula 2 driver Juan Manuel Correa in critical condition with leg and spine injuries as well.

Leclerc has been friends with Hubert since a young age and for him, it may have been harder than most to race on Sunday. With the Ferrari driver starting on pole position after an immense qualifying before the F2 crash, Leclerc managed to bring his qualifying form into the race.

"For Leclerc, this was tougher than for most," Palmer said on his BBC Sport column. "He knew Hubert well, having raced against him on and off throughout his career, including in his very first kart race. Yet his drive was almost perfect. Indeed, his performance over the entire weekend was.