Leclerc claims first F1 victory, dedicates win to Hubert.
SPA-FRANCHORCHAMPS, Belgium—September 1st—With good friend Anthione Hubert in mind, Charles Leclerc won his first Formula 1 on Sunday at the Grand Prix of Belgium.
Leclerc won it at Spa-Francorchamps, the same track where Hubert had died less than 24 hours earlier in a Formula 2 race.
For Leclerc, the third time was the charm. Following two failed attempts at victory, he got it right Sunday, edging out Lewis Hamilton by nine-tenths of a second. It was Ferrari’s first win of the season. Valtteri Bottas took third in his Mercedes.
“On the one hand, I have got a dream that has been realized. On the other hand, it has been a difficult weekend since yesterday when I lost a friend,” said Leclerc.
Charles Leclerc: I would like to dedicate my first win to him (Hubert). We grew up together, and it’s just a shame what happened yesterday.
Leclerc had a fine start to the race, but the same couldn’t be said of Kimi Raikkonen and Max Verstappen. They touched at La Source, ruining Raikkonen’s front wing and damaging Verstappen’s car. The Dutchman continued, only to lose control and crash coming out of Eau Rouge. The incident sent out the safety car for two laps.
Leclerc restarted the race in front and continued to lead, even after pit stops. Teammate Sebastian Vettel helped, too, by keeping Hamilton at bay. Leclerc, who was much quicker than Vettel, took advantage of fresher tires and held the lead as high as 6.6 seconds before the tires began to wear down.
But Leclerc held his composure–even with Hamilton better off at race pace and after lapping slower cars. In the end, Leclerc managed to hold off the Briton by under one second.
Vettel ended up fourth on the day, well behind Bottas. Rookie Red Bull driver Alex Albon took fifth. Sergio Perez finished sixth in his Racing Point. Dani Kvyat and Pierre Gasly, who was in his first appearance for Toro Rosso, scored double points in fifth and ninth, respectively. Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg finished eighth, and Lance Stroll took one more point for Racing Point in tenth.
Besides Verstappen, McLaren had a bad race day. Carlos Sainz Jr. was pulled off at bus stop chicane just before lap one. Lando Norris did the same on the last lap on the main straight with power unit issues. Antonio Goivinazzi plowed his Alfa Romeo into the wall near Blanchimont on the final lap but luckily escaped injury.
Leclerc was delighted with the outcome overall. “It had been a very difficult race, but it was tough towards the end. But I was happy about what I have done. I managed my tires, but Mercedes was very good in the race. It was great pole position-wise and in the race.”
Hamilton leads Bottas in the drivers’ championship by 65 points. Mercedes leads the constructor’s championship by 45 points over Ferrari.
Round 14 of the 2019 schedule will be held next weekend at Ferrari’s home track at Monza, Italy.
