Did Charles Leclerc crash in Baku? What happened to the Ferrari driver in Azerbaijan last year?

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc had an odd race weekend at the Baku City Circuit in 2021 as he battled with the other 19 drivers on the grid for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The Baku city streets caught five drivers off guard during the qualifying session for the 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. During the climactic session, however, it was Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc who stood out. For Ferrari, Leclerc had clinched the pole position.

After carrying his second consecutive pole for Ferrari in the 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Leclerc led the first two laps in Baku before being passed by 7-time F1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton as they crossed the line to begin the third lap.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvlq6FeVbQc

Hamilton had gained ground on Leclerc in the final sector, eventually completing the pass into Turn 1. Over the next five laps, Leclerc ended up losing positions to the Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, dropping him to P4 before pitting.

Also Read: “There was no joy,” Tobias Grüner surprised at Charles Leclerc’s reaction following his first ever finish at his home Grand Prix

Charles Leclerc gives his take on what went down in the 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Leclerc has revealed that an errant tree branch on the track at Turn 15 prompted him to cut the corner and then back off to ensure he did not gain a lasting advantage over Hamilton, allowing the Mercedes to close up. Verstappen was seen taking similar evasive action on the world feed during the race.

“It was starting to be quite OK in the first few laps. Then there was something that I think hasn’t been seen on TV. There was part of a tree in the middle of Turn 15, and there I actually lost quite a bit of time. I cut the track and I was a bit worried to gain time on Lewis behind that hadn’t cut the track. So I slowed down and then he overtook me,” said Leclerc.

Ferrari chose to bring along Leclerc slightly earlier, only for him to forfeit a position to Pierre Gasly after the first safety car restart, while Aston Martin driver Sebastian Vettel duelled past after the second. Leclerc ended up finishing fourth, tightly having lost to Gasly in a delayed battle for the podium spot. Despite winning the pole, Ferrari dismissed its opportunities of retaining its lead over Mercedes and Red Bull in the race, leaving Leclerc taken aback by his early drop in position.

Also Read: “He’s screwed up enough of his own”: Ralf Schumacher critical of Charles Leclerc

Also Read: Why are the race timings different for Azerbaijan GP? What time will the final race start?

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