Brawn hails Leclerc for his performance at the British Grand Prix
Formula One’s motorsport boss Ross Brawn said that Charles Leclerc’s third place finish at the British Grand Prix was a real testament for his excellent driving skills.
In his post-race column, Ross Brawn has hailed Charles Leclerc’s performance after the Monegasque finished third at last weekend’s British Grand Prix.
„Charles’ podium was fortuitous, following Valtteri’s tyre problem, but considering the difficulties they are having with the car, his performance was hugely impressive.
„He continues to crunch out big results that are beyond what the car is really capable of. He is leaving us all waiting with baited breath for when they get the car sorted out. He’s driving quite exceptionally.
Reflecting on Ferrari’s performance at the British Grand Prix, the Scuderia’s former Technical Director said that the fabled Italian outfit needs to improve its car quickly.
„Sebastian had a horrible weekend, and you get those. Clearly, Charles’s result was a bonus and Ferrari clearly need to improve the car – and quickly. But there are a lot of good and experienced people at Ferrari and I’m optimistic.
The Briton also assessed Nico Hülkenberg’s return to racing. The German driver stepped in for Sergio Perez after the Mexican had tested positive for the novel Covid-19 coronavirus ahead of the British Grand Prix. Brawn rues the German’s fortunes after he was unable to start the grand prix following gearbox issues on his Racing Point RP20.
„Being unable to start the British Grand Prix, having been parachuted in at short notice to replace Sergio Perez was a real disappointment for the Hulk because the midfield battle – which was fantastic – would have suited him down to the ground. He was always a pretty good fighter in those circumstances.
„He would have struggled physically as he was already starting to feel the effects of the loadings on his neck and the race would have been pretty tough on him, but that is something that he probably would have welcomed if nothing else to get him into better shape next week. He was doing a good job, and it was a real shame that happened.”
Currently, Mercedes is dominating the sport with practically no chance for any other rival to compete at the front. In fact, the Brackely-based outfit has been the field-leading team since the introduction of the hybrid power units in 2014. However, the fight in the midfield is closely-matched and thrilling in all races.
Brawn hopes that with the regulation changes foreseen for 2021 and 2022, the fight will be more intense at the sharp end of the field too. „My dream is that with the regulation changes that are coming in from the next two years, particularly with the budget cap and the new car regs, the fantastic fight we saw in the midfield will be replicated at the front.
„At the moment, the teams with the biggest budgets in Formula 1 are winning. I’m not trying to take the credit away from them, they’re doing a fabulous job, but they’re doing it with a budget much bigger than their midfield competitors,” Brawn concluded.
