Third place for Charles Leclerc, returning to the podium after a thrilling duel with George Russell.
Charles Leclerc took third place in the Japanese Grand Prix at the end of a hard-fought and entertaining race. The Ferrari driver, struggling slightly in the first half, emerged victorious in the final fifteen laps with two incredible overtaking moves (both at Turn 1) on Lewis Hamilton and George Russell. The duel between the Monegasque and the British Mercedes driver saw Leclerc prevail, with an impeccable and orderly defense that allowed him to secure his second podium of the season, his third considering the China Sprint.
This was his satisfaction at the end of the Suzuka race: “We had to work really hard for this podium. We were a bit unlucky with the Safety Car, so from that point on I knew I was a bit behind, especially compared to Kimi and Lewis. It was a fun race. After the first stop, we tried to manage the tires better because we didn’t think we’d get to the end with the right amount of degradation, but we lost less than we expected and managed to hold onto third place. We didn’t have the pace to catch Piastri, but overall, it was a fun race. We lost a few places at the start, but I’m happy to be back on the podium.”
Photos: Scuderia Ferrari HP
