Another race, another forgettable weekend for Ferrari in Formula 1. At the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Montreal, Charles Leclerc was the best of the Ferrari drivers, finishing fifth at the line mainly thanks to Lando Norris retiring after a collision with his teammate Oscar Piastri just a few laps from the end of the Canadian Grand Prix. The SF-25 proved to be a complete disaster in Montreal, quickly making people forget the Monegasque’s two consecutive podiums in Monte Carlo and Barcelona.
It was clear from Thursday that it would not be a smooth weekend for the Maranello team. The drivers had shown support for team principal Frederic Vasseur following some media speculation questioning the French manager’s performance, considering the fact that his contract is due to expire, and highlighting alleged discontent from Charles Leclerc himself.
That the Monegasque driver is currently unhappy is a matter of fact, and understandably so, given the limitations of the car. But this time he also contributed to the poor outcome with a major mistake in the first free practice session, and above all with the error during qualifying at a crucial moment. That slip possibly cost him a spot on the second row, which is not an exaggeration and would have been far better than the eighth place he ended up with.
His race started well during the first stint on hard tyres. His pace was on par with Lando Norris, as the gap between them stayed around three seconds until the first pit stop. Afterwards, Ferrari’s strategy was once again questionable or even more than questionable, one which left Charles Leclerc in sixth place, many seconds behind the group fighting for the win.
Indeed, by the end of the race, five drivers were contending for victory: two McLarens, two Mercedes, and Max Verstappen. And the Ferrari cars? They were once again watching from afar through binoculars, hoping something might happen. And something did, thanks to a clumsy move by Lando Norris, but relying on others’ misfortunes isn’t a viable strategy. True, this season is unique as it marks the end of the current technical regulations, but with 14 races remaining, urgent updates are needed, Fred.
Returning to Charles Leclerc’s race, the Monegasque hurt his own chances with that mistake in Q3. He blamed traffic, but Charles Leclerc is honest enough to admit that he was mostly responsible for the error. Certainly, he is pushing beyond the limit to make the car competitive at least for stage wins, but when one drives at the limit like that, mistakes are always around the corner.
At one point, the option of a one-stop strategy came up, but given the tyre degradation, it did not seem advisable. Charles Leclerc had back-and-forth discussions with the pit wall, marked by frequent miscommunications and misunderstandings. Clearly, serenity is lacking in Maranello, a problem that has unfortunately persisted for far too many years.
The Monegasque driver said he thought a one-stop strategy might have been possible. At the start of the race, he felt fairly convinced, especially after seeing George Russell pit to fit new hard tyres. He observed that George Russell’s lap times weren’t particularly fast, so he believed it might be worth trying as well, particularly because the tyre degradation was manageable. A one-stop seemed realistic, especially considering Lewis Hamilton’s first stint on the medium tyres, during which he appeared comfortable.
However, in the end, he acknowledged that the pit wall has access to more data than the drivers, so he deferred to their judgment. The final result, he admitted, was also due to the mistakes made in free practice, primarily his own and the traffic during qualifying, which compromised their grid position and complicated the whole race. The Ferrari driver also added that it had not been a simple weekend. When asked whether he felt less calm than usual, he explained that he always tries to get the most out of what he has. It was true that some races bring more frustration, but he didn’t blame others. The issue, at present, was that the Maranello team still does not have a car capable of fighting for victory. That, he said, was the real, major limitation.
