Breaking news
Formula 1 German GP
Leclerc says low-grip Hockenheim run-off "unacceptable"
Charles Leclerc says it is "unacceptable" to have what he considered as low-grip asphalt at the corner in which the Ferrari driver crashed out of Formula 1's German Grand Prix.
Tom Errington Scott Mitchell
Edited: Jul 29, 2019, 1:14 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Leclerc also admitted that he was "completely at fault" for the crash after sliding off on the approach to Turn 15 and skating across the soaking wet run-off and into the barriers.
The Ferrari man had been set to take over the lead of the race following Lewis Hamilton's pitstop - the Mercedes driver damaged his front wing shortly after - but instead, Leclerc was forced into retirement.
Read Also:
- German GP: Verstappen wins crazy race, disaster for Mercedes
- Kvyat: German GP was "horror movie with a bit of black comedy"
- Live: The German GP as it happened
Leclerc then hit out at the track conditions, following similar offs at the same corner for Hamilton and Renault's Nico Hulkenberg.
"I'm disappointed with myself today," Leclerc said to Scandinavian broadcaster Viaplay. "It's not a huge mistake. It's a small mistake, I've done a lot bigger mistakes during the season.
"It doesn't make anything better for my mistake but, first of all, I think the Tarmac in the last two corners - it's just unacceptable we have that on a Formula 1 track when it's wet.
"We can't have so much low grip. We've seen other drivers [go off], maybe I was the only one on slicks but I was at 60kph and had absolutely no grip. There's something there.
"But overall that does not forgive my mistake. I'm completely at fault today and it's a huge shame. I'm very sorry for the fans and the team."
While Leclerc had climbed from 10th on the grid and into victory contention, teammate Sebastian Vettel rose from last place to take second place at the flag.
The four-time world champion struggled to make up ground in the mid-phase of the race, after he had switched to intermediates following a rise into the top 10 within the first six laps.
"It took a while I don't think there was a problem but at the beginning, with the intermediates, I couldn't get the hang of it, but eventually I got going, so it's good the afternoon took so long," said Vettel.
"I stayed tidy for most of the race. It was a long one. I don't know if I can recap the whole race now. Congrats to [race winner] Max. He drove superb. For us, it was just going and getting the next car, get the next car, get the next car."
He continued: "Before the last safety [car, caused by Valtteri Bottas] I realised I was quite a bit quicker and happy to pass people.
"I was a little faster and could time it [overtaking] right. I saw a lot of people being cautious into the first corner and that's why I was giving it everything to get into DRS range and make the move down the back straight."
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Kvyat: German GP was "horror movie with a bit of black comedy"
Next article Magnussen blames Grosjean for late German GP clash
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Tom Errington
Eaton "got it wrong" with initial W Series criticism
W Series
W Series Jan 10, 2020
Eaton "got it wrong" with initial W Series criticism
Hamilton still revisits texts from "great pillar" Lauda
Formula 1
Formula 1 Dec 28, 2019
Hamilton still revisits texts from "great pillar" Lauda
DTM finalising hybrid powertrain spec for 2022 debut
DTM
DTM Dec 21, 2019
DTM finalising hybrid powertrain spec for 2022 debut
More from
Charles Leclerc
F1 driver contracts: How long is each driver tied down for?
Formula 1
Formula 1 21 h
F1 driver contracts: How long is each driver tied down for?
Max Verstappen on Ferrari clashes: "I would never sign two number-one drivers"
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
1 d
Max Verstappen on Ferrari clashes: "I would never sign two number-one drivers"
More from
Ferrari
What the Brazilian GP revealed about F1's ability to cope with rain
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
2 d
What the Brazilian GP revealed about F1's ability to cope with rain
Latest news
Carson Hocevar and Cleetus McFarland win LeMullets 2026 in epic finish
General
Misc General 3 h
Carson Hocevar and Cleetus McFarland win LeMullets 2026 in epic finish
TV ratings released for NASCAR Cup season finale
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
9 h
TV ratings released for NASCAR Cup season finale
Chase Elliott's car chief leaves Hendrick for NASCAR Truck crew chief role
NASCAR Truck
NSTR NASCAR Truck
Homestead
10 h
Chase Elliott's car chief leaves Hendrick for NASCAR Truck crew chief role
Feature
Discover prime content
Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s
Formula 1
By Kevin Turner
Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe