Will Verstappen lose his epic Austria victory? Max insists clash was "hard racing", Leclerc adamant that's "not the way you overtake"
Sunday 30 June 2019 19:21, UK
Max Verstappen's race-clinching overtake on Charles Leclerc at the Austrian GP is under investigation - and it could cost the Red Bull driver an epic victory.
After a magnificent duel between the two young drivers, Verstappen surged down the inside of the Ferrari into Turn Three with three laps to go but forced Leclerc off the track at the exit of the corner and the pair banged wheels.
"What the hell was that?" Leclerc, who was looking for his first F1 win, immediately said on team radio, before adding to Sky F1: "I'm angry. Obviously, feeling it from the inside, I didn't feel like it was a fair move."
But Verstappen was adamant that he was innocent.
"It's hard racing, otherwise we have to stay at home," Verstappen insisted. "If those things are not allowed in racing, then what's the point of being in Formula 1?"
He continued: "We had a little contact of course at the exit of the corner but from my side, I think it's racing. It's hard racing. It's better than just following each other and having a boring race, isn't it?"
Stewards confirmed that the incident was under investigation, with both drivers set to report to them at 5pm UK time.
Sky F1's Martin Brundle agreed with Verstappen: "If you can't do that in Formula 1, go home. We may as well all go home.
"He's not run the driver off the road. I cannot see any way they can give a penalty for that."
But Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto contested: "Regulations and rules are clear for the moment. It's under investigation, and we're confident of the result."
Leclerc: It was pretty clear
"I'll let the stewards decide, but for me in the car, it was pretty clear," Leclerc said after the race. "I don't know how it looked on the outside, but we will see.
"I was on the outside just like the lap before, it was fine because he left the space for the exit on the corner, but he didn't on the next lap, so we touched and I had to go wide and then obviously I didn't have another chance to pass back, so it's a shame."
The fact Verstappen even managed to challenge Leclerc was incredible in itself, after he had an awful start off the line from the front row behind the Ferrari - ending Lap One down in seventh.
He recovered and overtook both Vettel and Bottas after the pit-stops before encountering Leclerc in the closing stages.
"What a drive," said Sky F1's Damon Hill. "And in my opinion, Verstappen was well down the inside of Charles at Turn Three, he's way in front and he's got the line.
"I think Leclerc had to concede the position, whatever happened. He tried to defend it from the outside and you can't do that."
'Not the way you overtake'
The pair also had a battle on the previous lap at Turn Three, but on that occasion Leclerc somehow managed to stay ahead.
"I think the second one I broke a bit deeper into the corner," said Verstappen.
Leclerc meanwhile explained that he "did the same thing on both laps".
"The only thing that changed on the second lap was there was contact," he stated. "And then I had to go wide and I lost quite a bit of time there.
"I did not expect any contact on the second lap. As Max said I think he broke a little bit deeper, I don't know if he lost or not, but then there was the contact.
"I felt I was quite strong in traction and the first time I managed to have better traction and hold my position, on the second one I couldn't do that because I was off-track."
Leclerc also said that he felt Red Bull were the deserved winners of the race - but wasn't happy with the way Verstappen achieved it.
"I think overall Red Bull was very quick today and very good at keeping the tyres better than us," he said. "If I feel the first overtake was done rightly, I don't think the second one was.
"But I believe that anyway, the end would have probably been the same. But it's just not the way you overtake I think."
