On Friday afternoon, Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc experienced a nasty case of déjà vu after reliving one of his career’s most iconic — and, frankly, comical — collisions.
Formula One is in Azerbaijan this weekend, which means they’ll be dealing with the Baku City Street Circuit, a fan favorite but notoriously challenging track.
It’s difficult to perfect the setup here since the track has the longest straight on the F1 calendar and a Monaco-esque middle sector that is as tight and twisty as they come, winding through some of the city’s historic buildings.
Full footage of Charles Leclerc's crash in FP1!💥#F1 #Formula1 #AzerbaijanGP pic.twitter.com/JusVf3rb0O
— Extreme Cars (@extremecars__) September 13, 2024
That middle portion, which comes after a series of 90-degree turns, can be extremely demanding, with one of the most difficult sections being at the start of the circuit’s renowned castle segment.
Leclerc had a dramatic crash here in 2019, during his first season with Ferrari.
While some crashes are notable because they were scary, caused a lot of damage, or had a significant impact on the outcome of a race, Leclerc’s fall in Q2 of the 2019 Azerbaijan Grand Prix is best remembered for what he said on the radio shortly afterward.
Hey, Ferrari, I did not grant you permission to broadcast my internal monologue!
Unfortunately, when Leclerc passed the castle in FP1, he had to recreate that moment when he crashed at Turn 15, the last one before the long straight to the finish line.
That marked the end of Leclerc’s practice, and while the team was able to reassemble his car for FP2, he had to return to the pits during the session to repair his car’s steering, which had obviously taken a battering in a crash like that.
There is no hassle or muss, however. That’s what happens when you push the limits, and it didn’t slow Leclerc down at all. He set the fastest time in the second practice session.
Leclerc and Ferrari will be looking for a successful weekend and a second win in a row, after the Monagasque driver won the Italian Grand Prix two weeks ago.
