Leclerc will adapt driving if Verstappen F1 move goes unpunished
The championship contenders both ran off track on lap 48 of last Sunday’s race in Brazil when Hamilton attempted to overtake Verstappen around the outside at Turn 4.
F1’s stewards noted the incident but decided no investigation was necessary. However, after new footage from the front-facing camera on Verstappen’s car emerged on Tuesday, Mercedes lodged a request for review.
Mercedes made their case for the clash to be reconsidered on Thursday afternoon ahead of this weekend's Qatar Grand Prix in a hearing to determine whether the new evidence meets the criteria required to launch a review.
The controversial incident has divided opinion in the F1 paddock, and while Leclerc did not want to say too much on the matter itself, he admitted he would change his approach if Verstappen’s move is allowed.
“You always need to adapt to every situation, every decision the stewards are doing,” Leclerc explained.
"As soon as I knew that it wasn't a penalty for Max in Austria, I came to Silverstone and I changed my driving.
"So I think that's a bit the same for every driver, we will always try to race at the limits of what we're allowed to do. And that's what I will do if in case these these things are allowed.”
Asked if he has a preference over which way the outcome goes, the Ferrari driver replied: “Honestly, I really don't mind. But whatever is allowed, then I just want it to be clear as a driver. That's the only thing that matters to me.
“If this is allowed, then overtaking around the outside is going to be very difficult. But yeah, whatever the situation, the decision is, I'll just adapt my driving to it. So I'm fine with both.”
Leclerc came to blows with Verstappen while battling for the lead at the 2019 Austrian Grand Prix. Verstappen’s race-winning pass on Leclerc saw the pair make contact but the Red Bull driver ultimately kept his victory following a long investigation.
“Austria it was a bit of a different situation again, and after that we could race a bit harder, which I think was good for F1, for the show,” Leclerc said.
“This situation was another one, so I'll leave it to the stewards to just see what they think.”
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