12/07/2019
NEWS STORY
Feeling that the race stewards in Austria were fair yet inconsistent in failing to punish Max Verstappen for his winning move on him, Charles Leclerc has vowed to be more aggressive in future.
For over three hours after the race the result was in the balance as the Spielberg stewards investigated Verstappen's move on Leclerc which saw the pair touch wheels in Turn 3 as the Ferrari ran wide.
Eventually they deemed that it was a racing incident and that no further action was required, a decision that did not sit well with Leclerc.
However, speaking as the Silverstone weekend gets underway, the Monegasque said that he has learned from the experience.
"I think with the incident, I don't have any problems and it was very easy for me to move on," he told reporters. "The only thing is that I would like maybe a bit more consistency.
"I feel like there have been some other incidents in the past which have been less big, in a way, and that have been penalised," her continued. "If we can race that way, I'm more than happy to race that way. I think it's good for Formula 1. I think it's what us drivers want.
"We just need to know what we can expect from the others, and on that, I think that's why I would like probably more consistency on the penalties.
"I'm happy that we can now race like this," he added. "I just want it to be consistent. If it's consistent, I'm very happy to be racing like this.
"As drivers, we always try to be as close as the rules limit us to be. So I will definitely change a little bit and adjust a little bit my aggressivity."
Asked if he had seen a video which subsequently emerged of the pair clashing in a WSK Euro Series kart race in 2012, in which Verstappen claims he was forced off track and Leclerc insists it was a racing incident, the Ferrari driver laughed.
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"Yeah, it is quite funny," he replied, "I've seen it everywhere on social media.
"I think it was completely the other way around when I was saying it was an incident and he was saying that I pushed him off-track," he added. "Now seven years later it's the same, but the other way around, in Formula 1, both of us driving for two top teams.
"It reminds me at least the road that we have done together since these times, we were kids, dreaming of one day being in Formula 1, and now we are fighting each other in Formula 1. That's great to see."
Check out our Friday gallery from Silverstone, here.