Charles Leclerc and his Ferrari race engineer Xavi Marcos were involved in a minor misunderstanding via team radio during the Qatar Grand Prix.
The Ferrari driver was completing his second stint on the medium tires. In anticipation of the pit stop, which was forced due to the limits imposed by the FIA and Pirelli, his engineer reminded him that the time for the second stop was approaching.
However, the communication was not clear from the driver’s perspective in the cockpit. Leclerc didn’t understand whether the pit wall’s call was for the current lap or the next one.
Here is the transcription of the team radio, which you can listen to here:
Xavier Marcos: “Okay, we will stop on the next lap, so complete this lap.”
Charles Leclerc: “Do we have to stop or not?”
XM: “No, next lap.”
CL: “Don’t tell me when I shouldn’t stop.”
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This misunderstanding is entirely understandable, given the particularly unique circumstances of this weekend regarding the tires. In other words, what happened is nothing too out of the ordinary and, most importantly for Ferrari, it had no repercussions on the final result.
The Monegasque driver secured ten points by crossing the finish line in fifth place, even allowing Ferrari to extend its lead in the constructor’s standings over Aston Martin. Meanwhile, damage was limited in the Mercedes comparison, especially thanks to the starting crash between George Russell and Lewis Hamilton.
Source: f1ingenerale
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