Vasseur offers explanation for Leclerc's 'pushing like an animal' comment
Following Ferrari's comeback after a horrendous qualifying session at Las Vegas, the Scuderia's team boss Fred Vasseur offered an explanation for Leclerc's message on the radio when the Monegasque claimed that he was pushing "like an animal."
Following a disastrous qualifying session, Ferrari managed to salvage something from the Las Vegas weekend which had started promising for the Scuderia with strong pace across the Thursday practice sessions.
Charles Leclerc displayed encouraging performance across the opening two practice sessions, but he struggled for grip ont he wet surface in qualifying, ending up down in ninth place.
The Monegasque had an ordinary start, but he was tagged by Fernando Alonso into Turn 1 which saw him lose a place to the Spaniard. However, he did not give up and emerged as the only driver who could complete multiple overtaking manoevures on the track.
Leclerc managed to climb through the field to finish sixth despite a downforce setup that was more suited to wet conditions. The 28-year-old then gained two places post race, benefitting from the double disqualification of the McLaren drivers.
As for his team-mate Lewis Hamilton, he made up six places on the opening lap only to spend the majority of the first part of the 50-lap Las Vegas Grand Prix behind the Haas of Esteban Ocon.
The Briton then rose into the top 10 on the hard tyre but after he pitted onto the mediums, his progress stalled and he could not pick off Hulkenberg in the closing stages. He also gained two positions after McLaren’s double disqualification, inheriting P8.
Reflecting on Ferrari's comeback after a horrendous qualifying session, the Scuderia's team boss Fred Vasseur offered an explanation for Leclerc's message on the radio when the Monegasque claimed that he was pushing "like an animal."
"Lewis had a great start from P20, recovering very well. It’s true that none of us really knew what to expect from the tyres and we were surprised to see Antonelli able to do 48 laps with the Hard when some other cars were struggling.
"The difference was that Kimi was always in clean air, whereas if you follow someone, it damages the tyres and has a huge impact on your race. So we recovered well, but it was not enough.
"We had good pace today, but Charles’ aero choice meant it was very difficult for him to overtake. It’s true he was pushing “like an animal” as he said on the radio.
"When the others began to struggle on tyres he was able to overtake, but later it became difficult. Now there are still two races to go and our target is still to try and win a race before the end of the season."
