Charles Leclerc produces X-rated response as Nicholas Latifi stuns F1 fans at Hungarian GP

Charles Leclerc swore over team radio as Nicholas Latifi shocked Formula One by topping the timesheets in FP3 at the Hungarian Grand Prix. The Ferrari star appeared stunned by the result after he was pipped to the fastest time in the closing stages of the session. 

Latifi was the last car across the line at the end of a wet/dry session, beating Leclerc by over half a second. Speaking on team radio, Leclerc said: “What was the lap time of Latifi?”

His engineer simply responded that Latifi had set a “’41.5” on his last lap. Stunned, Leclerc replied: “F**k! Inters as well?”

Latifi’s fastest lap was greeted by rapturous applause from the fans while engineers in the Williams garage beamed in surprise. Moments later, Latifi added: “I was wondering if that clapping was for me.”

Williams boss Jost Capito was spotted grinning on the pitwall after an excellent performance in the changeable conditions. To top off a great session for Williams, Alex Albon was third fastest on his final run. 

READ MORE: Charles Leclerc’s miserable reaction in Ferrari meeting comes to light

It’s an important weekend for Leclerc to bounce back after his horror shunt at the French Grand Prix. The Monegasque was leading the race comfortably before dipping a wheel on the white line and spinning off. The accident threw away Leclerc’s opportunity to close the gap on Max Verstappen to just 30 points. 

Instead, the Red Bull star heads to the Hungaroring with a 63-point advantage with just one race to go before the summer break.

However, Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto revealed Leclerc is already over the French GP nightmare and predicted he could be successful this weekend. He commented: “Charles went home soon after and stayed home really, tried to relax and focus on Hungary.

“He is back, I think he really wants to do well. He has already turned the page with regard to Paul Ricard.”