Share

McLaren hit out at Ferrari's Leclerc

Cape Town - McLaren team boss Andreas Seidl has criticised Charles Leclerc for driving with a damaged front wing that was shedding pieces at the Japanese GP.

Leclerc was involved in a first lap incident with Max Verstappen that left the Ferrari driver with a damaged front wing.

However, rather than pit for repairs, Leclerc continued for several laps as he felt the damage hadn’t hurt his car’s performance.

Eventually the wing shed its end plate, which was caught in Lando Norris’ brake duct.

With overheating brakes, the McLaren driver was forced to pit early in the race, dropping him to the back of the field and putting an end to his chances of scoring points at Suzuka.

Seidl was not impressed.

“We obviously strongly disagree with competitors living cars out on track with entire front wing end plates hanging down, putting everyone at risk,” he told RaceFans.net.

“Unfortunately when this end plate then exploded [Norris was] catching in our front-right brake duct debris from Ferrari.

“The brake temperature went through the roof so we had to box him to clean it. And then the race was over.

“I mean he still tried and did a great drive in terms of pace also to get back but it was not possible.”

Leclerc was handed a 10-second time penalty after the grand prix for running with a car that was in an “unsafe” conditions. He dropped from sixth to seventh.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1473 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2251 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE