Charles Leclerc urged to stay calm like McLaren drivers after Hungary aggravation

F1 pundit James Hinchcliffe says Charles Leclerc can get “a bit emotional” in the car and should stay calm like the McLaren duo.

Leclerc endured a disappointing Sunday at the last race in Hungary.

The Ferrari driver was in contention for the victory after leading the race from pole position.

However, a chassis-related problem cost him significant lap time in the closing half of the race, ultimately dropping to fourth.

Leclerc’s frustration was obvious as he was handed a five-second time penalty for defending too aggressively against George Russell.

Speaking on the latest episode of The Red Flags podcast, Hinchcliffe suggested that Leclerc’s recent reactions are “to his detriment”.

“Obviously, Leclerc is still a guy that’s so good over a lap,” Hinchcliffe said.

“And whether it’s him, whether it’s the car, whether it’s the team, it’s just hard to convert those on Sundays for whatever reason. It’s a combination of things.

“I do still think he gets a bit emotional in the race car to his detriment. You heard in Hungary when things were going south, the way he sounds, he just sounds aggravated. He sounds agitated in the car. And that’s not a good position to be in, right?” 

Hinchcliffe draws McLaren duo comparison

Hinchcliffe referred to the McLaren duo and their “very calm approach”.

Oscar Piastri is typically cool over the team radio - a trait that has served him well in this year’s F1 title race.

“It wouldn’t have changed his result there, but there are other examples of it where I compare it to… we talk about how Oscar is this kind of stone cold, lives right in the middle kind of guy in the car,” Hinchcliffe added.

“You think back to Lando, Hungary last year, he ends up in the lead of the race because of whatever, and they want to give it back to Oscar. And he’s having a very calm discussion about it on the radio. Hey, we need you to switch back. 

‘Well, tell him to catch me. I would have undercut him anyway’. He wasn’t yelling, he wasn’t screaming, he wasn’t cursing. Even when he was getting royally fu**ed, he stayed very calm.

“And so I do think that’s an area that Charles could benefit from working on a little bit because he’s not a guy who drives faster when he’s angry. Alonso, I think a guy like Alonso does drive faster when he’s angry.”