Leclerc sparks concerns during Sprint as French accent strikes again

Charles Leclerc put his Ferrari team and his fans on red alert during Saturday's Sprint event in Baku when he radioed in to signal "a cut", but the Monegasque later clarified what he actually meant.

Leclerc was leading the race under the Safety Car when he alluded to what his team believed may have been "a cut" to his power unit, although his crews could see no data supporting such an issue.

• Read also: Leclerc admits he had to settle for second after Perez pass

Asked about his comment after the race, Leclerc revealed that he was actually talking about "a cat" running across the track.

"I said a cat, which is different!" explained Leclerc, who finished the short distance event second behind Red Bull's Sergio Perez.

"There was a cat in the middle of the road and the Safety Car had to stop, but I think I was probably the only one who saw that?

"In the exit of Turn 1, there was a cat and the Safety Car braked. It wasn't too bad, but I just felt like I was going to say!"

Sitting alongside Leclerc in the post-race press conference, Perez had a suggestion for Verstappen, his feline-loving teammate: "Maybe Max should adopt the cat!"

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