Why Leclerc was 'forgiven' by Ferrari after Monza win

Charles Leclerc's spectacular Italian Grand Prix victory gave him a chance to redeem himself at Ferrari, with Mattia Binotto forgiving him over Saturday's qualifying malaise.

Sebastian Vettel was less than impressed when he missed out on a proper flying lap at the end of Q3 in Monza.

The German had towed Leclerc into provisional pole on the initial runs, but the Monegasque did not return the favour amid chaotic scenes which saw all but one remaining driver – Carlos Sainz – fail to reach the start line before the chequered flag dropped.

While Vettel bit his tongue, Lewis Hamilton, who qualified second, was clear in his suggestion that Leclerc might have purposefully aided the chaos in order to keep P1.

As Leclerc took the adulation from the crowd on his cooldown lap Binotto told him over team radio "sei perdonato" – Italian for 'you are forgiven'.

Explaining his choice of words, Binotto said: "It means whatever happened in the last days, that we discussed – and that's something that will remain between us three – at least he did a good job.

"That was a way of me telling him that at least we are happy with the job he did."

Binotto is sure that the issues of Monza qualifying will not carry over into the coming weeks.

He added: "It will not affect. At first it's something we discussed internally. There may be different points of view. The outcome was certainly a very strange situation for everybody.

"I think more important was what Seb said at first, turn the page and look ahead. I think that these guys are great and I can count on them. So it will not affect, I'm pretty sure.

"It doesn't mean it will not happen again, because you never know. The spirit is whatever you may do, there is something to learn, and therefore it's important to make sure it's a lesson learned."

Related

Latest F1 News

Big name driver 'very angry internally' after controversial battle

• April 23, 2024 09:57

Latest F1 News

Ferrari F1 star concedes key advantage in crucial team-mate battle

• April 20, 2024 19:12