Leclerc/Ferrari: Penalty, disqualification, pole position, victory and nonsense

Ferrari star Charles Leclerc started the 2023 US Grand Prix from pole position, but both during and after the race he was in for a rude awakening: He was less competitive than expected, and late in the evening he was even knocked out of the results – his underbody had been worn down too much, meaning his sixth place was gone. For the same reason, his current Ferrari team-mate Lewis Hamilton lost second place, back when he was a Mercedes driver.

In 2024, Leclerc took his revenge: victory at the United States Grand Prix. Leclerc has now won several Formula 1 classics – Monza (2019 and 2024), Spa-Francorchamps (2019), Monaco (2024), Silverstone (2026), plus two highlights from more recent F1 history: Melbourne (2022) and Austin (2024).

Leclerc is a member of the COTA fan club; the 29-year-old from Monaco also openly professes his love for this challenging circuit on the outskirts of Austin: “It’s simply a cracking circuit. Especially the first section of the circuit – on a fast lap, it’s hard to beat, with that brilliant run-up to the first corner, the different lines you can take there, and the fast bends that follow – it’s a real treat!”

“Above all, though, the organisers here have put a lot of thought into overtaking. You can attack here, but your opponent immediately has the chance to counter. You don’t see that on other circuits. At COTA, they’ve got it all spot on.”

Ahead of his 189th Grand Prix, the 2022 World Championship runner-up says: “I expect the top teams to be very close together again. A lot will depend on who brings improvements to the car. We’ve got a few new parts here – nothing major – but even a tenth of a second can make a big difference.”

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Topic of the week: MotoGP’s new schedule proved highly controversial

In 2027, MotoGP will also enter the 850cc era with a new schedule. It was not so much the changes themselves as the way the decisions were reached that caused a stir. A prime example of: ‘Talking helps’.

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Austin: 1. Freies Training

FIA Formula One World Championship

23.10.2026 - 19:25

Kimi Antonelli is on the verge of the World Championship title. Charles Leclerc praises him: “I can only remember one mistake, that’s all. So it’s only a matter of time before he wins the title, and he fully deserves it after such a great season.”

Red Bull Racing driver Isack Hadjar claimed here in the paddock that Ferrari had the fastest car in Singapore. Charles Leclerc can only smile wearily at this: “It’s pretty daft to claim something like that. He knows as little about how good the Ferrari is as I do about how good his car is. I don’t give a jot about that sort of talk.”