Jeremy Clarkson wowed by "proper racing" of F1 driver who escaped sanctions

Charles Leclerc’s close battle with George Russell drew applause from former Top Gear host and famous F1 fan Jeremy Clarkson.

The presenter and writer, also known for The Grand Tour and Clarkson’s Farm, made his opinions about Sunday’s Dutch Grand Prix clear in a series of social media posts.

Clarkson first praised Charles Leclerc’s wheel-to-wheel duel with Mercedes driver George Russell.

Ferrari’s Leclerc barged his way past Russell at Turn 12 with a forceful move following a Virtual Safety Car restart.

“Leclerc. Holy shit. That’s proper racing,” Clarkson wrote on social media.

However, Russell was not impressed with Leclerc’s driving, complaining over team radio: “He was off the track, surely?”

Meanwhile, Leclerc said on team radio: “Turn 11, 12, he doesn’t leave a space. He cannot complain.”

The incident was investigated by the stewards after the race but Leclerc and Russell both avoided penalties.

The stewards noted that “both drivers felt that this was a racing incident and that there should be no further consequence to either driver for the incident”, adding “we reviewed all the available evidence and arrived at the same conclusion.”

Russell ultimately finished fourth, while Leclerc’s race ended in the Turn 3 barriers after he was taken out by Russell’s teammate Kimi Antonelli.

Clarkson leaps to Antonelli’s defence

Clarkson also defended Kimi Antonelli after the Mercedes rookie wiped out Leclerc, writing: “Antonelli is a teenager.”

However, not everyone was so supportive of Antonelli, who came under fire from 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve.

The Canadian brutally suggested “maybe F1 is just too much for him”.

“Very poor. A move that you might see in Formula 4 or Formula 3, from a driver who doesn’t have experience,” he Sky Sports F1.

“It’s not calculated the way it should be.

“When you are in F1, you will make mistakes if you drive too hard on the limit. But this wasn’t that.

“It was just badly calculated. He shouldn’t have done that.

“Then, he got all riled up and [was penalised for breaking the pit lane] speed limit, as well.

“Maybe F1 is just too much for him.”