29 October 2023 , 22:20
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Charles Leclerc was furiously booed by fans at the Mexican Grand Prix as he explained the crash which took home hero Sergio Perez out of the race.
The Mexican racer started fifth on the grid but got a great launch which put him in the fight for the lead at the first corner. But it ended in tears as he made contact with Leclerc's Ferrari and was launched up into the air.
Perez tried to carry on but there was too much damage done to his Red Bull. Leclerc's front wing was broken but he was able to carry on and finished the race third, behind winner Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.
Because he was in the top three, he took part in the post-race interviews in the stadium section of the circuit. But as he took the microphone, a chorus of boos could be heard coming from the stands who clearly hadn't forgiven or forgotten.
The Ferrari racer acknowledged the anger from the supporters as he tried to defend himself. "A lot of booing. Guys, honestly, I had nowhere to go. I was between two Red Bulls, we touched and damaged both our cars," he explained.
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"I am disappointed to end Checo's race like that but I had nowhere to go. We struggled a bit with the hard at the restart, they [Mercedes] were just better today."
Leclerc tried to reason with the fans as they booed him (Sky Sports)Despite his attempts to reason with the home fans, though, it had little impact as the boos continued until his interview was over. And another smattering could be heard during the podium ceremony when Leclerc took to his place.
Verstappen took the lead when Leclerc and Perez touched and never looked back. Even after a mid-race stoppage after a huge Kevin Magnussen crash, the Dutchman sped off into the distance and was very happy with his day's work after the race.
"It's been incredible," he said. "Unfortunately, Checo retired on lap one, but the crowd stayed. They have been incredible. To be honest, I think we are experiencing a strong season. We tried a different strategy to everyone but with the red flag we couldn't show it."
And Hamilton was delighted with second: "I've got to say a big thank you to the crowd. I feel fresh. We weren't having to push crazy hard considering we started P6. This is really well done. I though [the medium tyre] wasn't going to last."