Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz ended up making an unforeseen road trip through the middle of Italy after their flight to Nice was cancelled due to severe storms. The incident occurred shortly after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, where Sainz secured his first podium finish driving for Williams. Their flight, originally headed to Nice, had to be redirected to Italy because of bad weather conditions.
Unable to continue by air, the two former teammates decided to rent a van to travel back to Monaco. Accompanying them were Leclerc’s friends, Joris Trouche and Antoine Truchet, who serve as his photographer and videographer, respectively. What began as a frustrating delay turned into an impromptu adventure as the group navigated the unexpected challenges on the road.
Unplanned Journey Through Italy Becomes a Road Trip
Leclerc shared the moment on camera, showing the gloomy road leading them into a tunnel as they set off on their drive.
“So, after a difficult weekend in Baku, I thought it couldn’t get any worse, but…”
he said, capturing the unusual situation. Meanwhile, Sainz took the wheel, expressing surprise at their circumstances.
“We are driving a van!” the Spanish driver exclaimed. “In the middle of Italy,” he added when asked about their location. Explaining why the journey had taken this unexpected turn, Sainz said,
“We were diverted for a storm, we couldn’t land in Nice, so we landed in the middle of Italy. We rented a van, and now we are on our way to Monaco.”
Attempting to lighten the mood, Sainz joked about the travel time:
“A two-hour drive, and we will make it in one hour and a half.”
Race Outcomes Highlight Contrasting Fortunes
The road trip followed a weekend of mixed results at the Baku City Circuit. Carlos Sainz achieved his best finish with Williams by placing third, marking a personal milestone. In contrast, Charles Leclerc’s race was marred by a frustrating qualifying crash that left him starting further back and ultimately finishing ninth, earning just two championship points.
Leclerc candidly took responsibility for his performance after the race, explaining how his mistake in Q3 had impacted his entire weekend. Speaking to Sky Sports F1, he said,
“It’s the way it is but I’ve got to take responsibility for qualifying. I didn’t go our way yesterday because I did a mistake in Q3 and yeah this weekend happens and it’s been a very strong season so far for me.”
He reflected on the missed opportunity, adding,
“To this weekend I haven’t been doing a great job and in qualifying I pay the price of the mistake in Q3 and in those conditions when it’s tricky that’s where I should be in front and taking that as an opportunity.”
Leclerc described how traffic and strategic decisions further hindered his race:
“I didn’t do that with this weekend. Today we pay the price of that because I was basically stuck in traffic and it was a little bit of rolling the dice which strategy would be best. You would only hope that you were on the same strategy as the guys which were faster.”
Addressing the difficulty in overtaking, he noted,
“I unfortunately was on the same strategy as maybe cars that were struggling a little bit more but Liam was doing a really good job defending, had a really good straightline speed and was just impossible to overtake even though we had more pace. So that means that it’s not been a great Sunday for us.”
The Road Trip’s Bigger Picture and What Lies Ahead
This unplanned journey through Italy highlights the unpredictability that can affect even the most meticulously planned racing schedules, especially due to external factors like weather. For Charles Leclerc, the car trouble and qualifying mistakes mark a rare dip in what has otherwise been a strong season, while Carlos Sainz’s podium signals progress with Williams.
The drivers’ experience underscores their resilience and adaptability off the track, as well as on it, managing unforeseen disruptions with determination. Moving forward, both will aim to build on their recent performances as the championship season continues, with weather and travel logistics remaining variable challenges in their demanding race calendar.
