Leclerc admits to overreacting in Singapore radio messages

Charles Leclerc will look to avoid a repeat of his outbursts over team radio during last Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix after conceding he overreacted to being undercut by Ferrari teammate Sebastian Vettel.

Leclerc led the early stages of the race in Singapore from pole before being passed in the pit stops by Vettel after Ferrari underestimated the power of the undercut and the time that could be gained.

Leclerc called the situation “not fair” on team radio during the race, voicing his frustration in a number of messages before discussing the incident with Ferrari team chief Mattia Binotto after the race.

Five days on from his Singapore defeat, Leclerc admitted that he had been too vocal over team radio and that he appreciated why Ferrari had made the call it did, paving the way for its first one-two finish in over two years.

“I believe that my reaction was well over what it should be, and that shows that I’ve still got a lot to learn,” Leclerc said on Thursday in Russia.

“In this situation, there was absolutely no need to be like this. The team has done the right thing. We finished first and second. We wouldn’t have finished first and second with another strategy, and that’s what matters the most.

“On that, I’ve definitely got a lot to learn and a lot to improve so that won’t happen again in the future.”

Asked if he would look to keep his thoughts to himself without pressing the radio button, Leclerc said it was “definitely the goal”.

“In the car, it’s always very difficult. There is a lot of adrenaline,” Leclerc added.

“I wake up in the morning thinking about victory, I go to sleep thinking about victory, so sometimes it might be hard.

“I just need to control myself more in these situations, and - how can I say it politely… just shut up!

“I will learn from this, and I will try for it to not happen again.”