Charles Leclerc's Cheeky Radio Jibe at Sergio Perez Over Blue Flags

Charles Leclerc's team radio from the Singapore Grand Prix has surfaced, revealing a moment of frustration with Sergio Perez. During the race, Leclerc couldn't help but question whether Perez was "still driving for Red Bull," after the Cadillac driver was slow to yield to blue flags.

Leclerc secured his first podium since Spa's Belgian Grand Prix on July 14, finishing second at Marina Bay. Max Verstappen took the win, but not without Leclerc putting up a strong early challenge, before eventually trailing 7.3 seconds behind the Red Bull driver.

Leclerc's progress was slightly hindered when, in the closing stages, Perez, a lapped driver, took his time moving over for blue flags. On Lap 56, Leclerc began closing in on Perez, who was alerted to the Ferrari's presence by his race engineer, Carlo Pasetti.

Pasetti informed Perez: “Car behind is Leclerc, 3.8.” By Lap 57, the warnings about blue flags became more pointed as Perez approached Turn 11. Pasetti instructed: “Manage late throttle slips out of corner 11. Blue flags for Leclerc.”

Perez's response was inaudible, but Pasetti directed him to let Leclerc go. Perez eventually held the inside line at Turn 13's exit, allowing Leclerc to pass. The Ferrari driver couldn't resist a light-hearted jab at Perez, who partnered Max Verstappen at Red Bull from 2021 to 2024.

Reflecting on the race, Leclerc admitted his satisfaction was tempered by the reality of finishing behind Verstappen. "Happy, but not super happy," he told PlanetF1.com and others. "Second place is a good result, considering our recent pace issues."

Leclerc noted Ferrari's strong qualifying pace, though Verstappen had the upper hand during the race. "Max had a bit more pace, which was expected, but we were closer than we thought," he reflected. "I believed in a win until the end, but it wasn't quite enough."

Leclerc also commented on the race's start, where Verstappen's defensive move kept him at bay. "You don’t have much time to think," Leclerc said. "I had a good start, went alongside Max, but there wasn't much space."

He acknowledged missing an opportunity when Verstappen had a deployment issue early on. "I thought it was a one-off, so I wasn't using my battery, which maybe was a mistake," Leclerc explained. "By the time I realized he had no power, it was too late to react."

Ultimately, Leclerc conceded that while a different strategy might have helped initially, Red Bull simply had the pace advantage in Singapore.