Charles Leclerc was completing a demonstration run in Niki Lauda ‘s 1974 Ferrari – last Sunday’s Monaco Historic Grand Prix – when he spun at La Rascasse.
Despite his accident and the controversy he caused on social networks, Leclerc assured that “it is always an honor” for him to drive historic cars and that “it is also part of our job”.
“To be honest, before that I think all the checks that needed to be done were done. Obviously there was a shakedown of this car the previous Thursday and yes, the failure that occurred was in a brake pad screw and that is impossible. know in advance.”
“I had a lot of fun and this was unfortunate, but again, it was just bad luck. So, fighting for a championship like this, I’ll think twice before doing it again in the future.”
Leclerc also recently tested Gilles Villeneuve’s 1979 312T4 around Fiorano, to mark the 40th anniversary of the Canadian Grand Prix winner’s death.
“Niki’s was incredible until the breakdown, there it was a little less incredible,” he explained. “But to be honest, Gilles had the museum tyres, so he couldn’t run at all, they were very, very old tires and it was difficult to go over 100km/h.
“I had a lot more fun in Niki’s car,” he said.
The Ferrari driver, who leads the 2022 F1 Drivers’ Championship after five rounds, said he feels an emotional connection to driving historic cars, saying it was “great to experience what it was like before and what it is now” to experience.
“These are drivers I’ve never seen in real life, and you only appreciate the risk they were taking once you get in one of their cars and see how secure they were at the time and what it meant to fight wheel to wheel at those times. speeds with those cars.
“I think it’s also great to experience how it was and how it is now. It’s very different now, it’s a lot faster, but it’s also a lot safer, and we probably don’t have safety on our minds as much as they did when they were racing.”
“I’ve had the opportunity to meet Niki and see him a few times in the paddock in the past and yes, they are simply legends of our sport, so of course their cars are always amazing to drive.”
