Jacques Villeneuve mocks Charles Leclerc after Azerbaijan Grand Prix crash

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The Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend began with multiple drivers crashing on the unforgiving streets of Baku and causing red flags.

The Baku City Circuit is a street track that requires a lot of confidence to maximise the lap time with minimal margin for error in Formula 1.

The disrupted FP1 session may allow for some question marks over the weekend as the teams could’ve gathered more data.

Charles Leclerc crashed in the weekend’s opening session, damaging his Ferrari and receiving some criticism from Jacques Villeneuve.

The 1997 Formula 1 world champion mocked the Ferrari driver after he hit the wall at Turn 15 when commentating on the session for Sky Sports F1.

Jacques Villeneuve claimed Charles Leclerc has an ‘affinity with the walls’ in Azerbaijan

Leclerc has been blisteringly fast over his career, taking 25 pole positions but he has stepped over the limit multiple times in Azerbaijan.

The Monegasque crashed at Turn 8 in qualifying in 2019, costing him an opportunity to score a pole position.

READ MORE: Jacques Villeneuve ‘didn’t like’ what Oscar Piastri said in Azerbaijan Grand Prix interview

Leclerc has taken the last three pole positions at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, showcasing his pure pace on the street circuit, but he has yet to convert it into a race win.

Villeneuve was far from impressed by Leclerc’s antics in first practice, as other drivers have avoided the wall after a similar incident.

He said: “An affinity with its walls as well. You can see that he even missed the kerb on the inside. So he wasn’t thrown off. You could see with the skids, he just arrived with too much speed.

“And like we’ve seen other drivers when they realise they’re too fast, they opt for going off, going straight, then reversing, and he didn’t make that call.”

Charles Leclerc is on good form heading to Azerbaijan in Formula 1

Leclerc has been driving brilliantly over the past few races, winning the Italian Grand Prix last time out on an emotional day for the 26-year-old.

Before his win in Italy, he took a superb third place at Zandvoort in the Netherlands, resisting a hard-charging Oscar Piastri in a superior McLaren.

He has taken a top-three finish from each of the last three races, recovering from a more challenging run after his Monaco Grand Prix win.

The Ferrari driver will be looking to bounce back quickly from his mistake in first practice and be on the pace in qualifying.