Charles Leclerc admits he “just went for it” when he had the chance to overtake Sebastian Vettel in Bahrain.
The Monegasque had dropped to third after a sluggish start from pole before re-inheriting second after Valtteri Bottas ran wide at the start of Lap 2.
After that point, he quickly closed back in on his Ferrari teammate and would sweep around the outside at Turn 1 using DRS.
“It’s always a tricky situation when you get to fight your teammate because the risks are very high and, as in every team, they warn you before the race: OK, you can try things on different people, but with your teammate, please be careful – which is something normal,” Leclerc explained.
“It’s always obviously that something more.
“I had the opportunity and I didn’t hesitate, I just went for it. I was happy it was successful the first time I tried, especially after the bad start. So yeah, happy with how it ended up.”
It has since emerged though that his move came a handful of corners after he was told to hold position despite telling the pitwall he was faster.
“I was just letting them know,” he said of his message.
“I think I had an answer, ‘okay, stay like this for two laps’ but then on the next straight I had the opportunity to go for it, so I went for it and it was a successful pass and then I was just quicker, so then I did my race.”
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Once ahead, Leclerc pulled away and would be 12 seconds clear of second place Lewis Hamilton, following Vettel’s spin as they battled at Turn 4, only for the engine issue to rob him of a first Formula 1 win.
“To lose the lead in this way it’s always a shame and always a disappointment but I also had a lot of things to do and there were still points to grab so I very quickly got back to focus on my race,” the 21-year-old explained.
