“Shit happens”: Max Verstappen has no sympathy for Charles Leclerc after taking advantage of the engine failure of his rival Ferrari to win the Azerbaijani Grand Prix and open a 21-point lead at the top of the standings of pilots.
- Charles Leclerc suffered an engine failure halfway through the race in Baku
- The Ferrari driver placed in pole position ahead of the two Red Bull drivers
- But Max Verstappen took the victory when his teammate Sergio Pérez was second
- The Dutchman showed little sympathy after retiring to Azerbaijan last season
For Reuters
Posted: 19:55, 12 June 2022 | Updated: 7:55 PM, June 12, 2022
Max Verstappen spared no sympathy for Charles Leclerc after the Dutchman took advantage of an engine failure that ended the race of his Ferrari Formula 1 rival to secure an undisputed victory in Azerbaijan on Sunday.
“I’d say shit happens, these are races, you know?” Verstappen, who experienced the misfortune of breaking up in Baku last year, told reporters.
“It simply came to our notice then.
Max Verstappen took the victory after Charles Leclerc’s engine failure in Azerbaijan
The Ferrari driver dropped to 34 points from the Dutchman in the drivers’ championship
‘If I were in the same situation, I would also be disappointed, I think it’s very normal, but that’s how it goes.’
Verstappen’s victory on Sunday, his fifth in eight races this season, allowed him to open an important lead in the overall standings.
He is now 21 points ahead of his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez, who on Sunday completed a two behind Verstappen, with Leclerc 34 points behind after falling to third place.
The 24-year-old, who came in nine points behind Verstappen over the weekend, has now failed to turn first place into a victory in the last four races in a row for reasons ranging from unreliability to strategic mistakes.
Leclerc closed the first corner and initially ceded first place to Sergio Pérez
Verstappen later overtook his Red Bull teammate to win comfortably and with a 21-point lead
Sunday’s failure was the second time in three races that Leclerc had retired from the lead.
It came shortly after his teammate Carlos Sainz also stopped with a hydraulic failure, which led to a double withdrawal of Ferrari.
Verstappen himself has been sidelined twice due to reliability issues this year and belonged to Leclerc by 46 points after the first three races of the season.
“You learn it, you don’t like it, you’re angry, but we turn it around,” he said.
“You just have to be more discriminating with the help you render toward other people.”