Motorsports
Leclerc on the boos: “A lot of shouting, I didn’t do it on purpose”
Charles Leclerc was unfairly booed by the Mexicans in the Foro Sol stadium arena at the end of the Mexican GP because he collided with Sergio Perez in the first corner and the Red Bull driver had to retire – and wanted to apologize in the Publicity.
At the start of the race at the Hermanos Rodríguez circuit, Max Verstappen overtook pole position holder Leclerc and Perez looked to do the same – after making a fantastic start – from outside the first corner. However, when Verstappen turned slightly to the left while turning, Leclerc did the same to avoid him and came into contact with Perez’s RB19.
The Mexican’s car lifted off the ground, hit the asphalt again violently and landed in the escape area of the curve. Perez managed to return to the pits, but there the team discovered that the damage to the suspension, floor, front wing and side vents was so extensive that it was impossible to continue the race.
Leclerc’s Ferrari suffered front wing damage, which the Scuderia eventually replaced due to Kevin Magnussen’s accident, and the Monegasque man managed to finish third in the race. In the course of the park ferme, the interviews and the podium place in the Foro Sol stadium, he experienced the unintentional disapproval of the Mexicans.
“A lot of whining, a lot of whining, people.” Leclerc said to the audience. “Honestly, I had nowhere to go. I was between the two Red Bulls and unfortunately I touched the Czech, but I couldn’t go anywhere.
That’s life, my car was damaged and unfortunately the Czech’s race ended, but we for our part got the most out of it. That’s life. Of course I’m sorry that the game ended like that, but honestly I didn’t do it on purpose and I didn’t know where to go.” added the Ferrari driver.
Leclerc lost second place to Lewis Hamilton over the course of the race and admitted that Mercedes simply had better race speed than Ferrari, who had made a double start in a qualifying round a day earlier.
After colliding with Perez, the 25-year-old remained on the track until the piece of broken wing came loose – forcing organizers to use a virtual safety vehicle to remove the fragment from the tarmac.
After the race, the race stewards called together Leclerc and Ferrari officials to determine whether Monegasse and the Scuderia had violated safety regulations by continuing to drive with a faulty and potentially dangerous component.
At the meeting, attended by FIA car director Nicolas Tombazis and technical director Joe Bauer, Ferrari said it was confident the car was safe for the first two laps and did not believe the broken fender section could come loose.
That changed on lap 3 when they noticed a significant change in the data, so they planned to call Leclerc into the pits for a front wing change. But before they could do so, the broken part came loose.
Based on an October 2022 FIA decision, the detachment of part of the wing and its landing on the track did not constitute a breach of safety regulations by the teams, so Leclerc was not penalized. So the Monegasque, who had been disqualified from the US GP a week earlier due to excessive ground wear, retained his place on the podium this time.
Source: sport 24
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Carlos Sainz Sr., father of Carlos Sainz and two-time world rally champion, has commented on Ferrari’s decision to replace his son with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.
Sainz was left without a seat at Ferrari last year and later joined Williams. In 2025, the Spaniard outperformed Hamilton and achieved two podiums, while the Briton had none.
Carlos Sainz Sr. emphasized that neither he nor his son criticized Hamilton:
“It’s not our problem, it’s not Carlos’ problem. Ferrari was close to winning the constructors’ championship in 2024, but this year the team has faced difficulties. My advice, and Carlos agrees, is to focus on your work. The world is already too complex to worry about everyone. Let people draw their own conclusions,” he said.
At the same time, Sainz Sr. believes that his son can become a world champion:
“I have a lot of confidence in him and I want to believe that it is possible. I am his father and I have seen how talented he is. If he is in the right place at the right time, he can really achieve this. Everything has to match perfectly. He works and fights for it,” he added.
The rally champion also noted that success depends on the car and the team:
“Unfortunately, I don’t have a crystal ball to know how teams are preparing for radical changes in F1. It all depends on the engine and the chassis. It would be good for Williams to produce a competitive car and fight for the podium. Now they can be at the bottom, middle or top of the table and under the new rules the stronger teams have more resources.”
Source: Sport UA
Ruth Waterhouse is an author and sports journalist who writes for Sportish. She is known for her coverage of various sports events and her insightful analysis of sports-related news. With a passion for sports and a keen eye for detail, she has become a respected voice in the sports community.
Formula 1 pilots’ salaries have long been record-breaking, and the championship’s leading stars regularly appear on the list of the world’s highest-paid athletes.
The current F1 squad is one of the richest in the history of the series, which is directly linked to the sharp increase in the championship’s global popularity in recent years.
But large contracts account for only a fraction of total revenue. Advertising deals, bonuses, business ventures and investments have allowed individual pilots to amass fortunes that far exceed the earnings of most of their peers. According to Racing News 365, it was these Formula 1 drivers who managed to build the largest financial empires in the history of the championship, leaving others far behind.
The richest F1 drivers in history
1) Michael Schumacher – $790 million
2) Lewis Hamilton – $304 million
3) Fernando Alonso – $264 million
4) Kimi Raikkonen – $254 million
5) Niki Lauda – $203 million
Source: Sport UA
Ruth Waterhouse is an author and sports journalist who writes for Sportish. She is known for her coverage of various sports events and her insightful analysis of sports-related news. With a passion for sports and a keen eye for detail, she has become a respected voice in the sports community.
Mercedes driver George Russell says he is ready to prove his ability to challenge for the Formula 1 championship and is not afraid to confront Max Verstappen directly.
The Briton had been driving for Mercedes for four seasons but joined the Brackley team just as it lost its leading position. During this time, Russell achieved five Grand Prix victories but had to watch Verstappen and Lando Norris win the titles.
On the eve of major regulatory changes in 2026, many experts see Mercedes as one of the favorites of the new technical cycle. Russell hopes this will be his chance to consistently compete at the top.
“I’m confident I can compete with the best. Max is the gold standard right now,” said Russell.
I would like to fight him head on. “This is the only pilot next to whom you can really test your level.”
After Lewis Hamilton moved to Ferrari, Russell established himself as the leader of Mercedes. The 27-year-old compares his situation to the career of Michael Schumacher, who won his first championship after working for Ferrari for five years.
“You either fight for the championship or you don’t. Nobody dreams of fighting for second place. I’m ready to take my chances and I understand that patience is required,” concluded Russell.
Source: Sport UA
Ruth Waterhouse is an author and sports journalist who writes for Sportish. She is known for her coverage of various sports events and her insightful analysis of sports-related news. With a passion for sports and a keen eye for detail, she has become a respected voice in the sports community.
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