F1 | Charles Leclerc explains Ferrari’s strategy at the Dutch Grand Prix
Charles Leclerc has returned to discuss his retirement in the Netherlands and to comment on Ferrari’s strategy that led to the incident. The Monegasque driver did not finish the race at Zandvoort due to a collision with Antonelli shortly after a pit stop. Ferrari’s strategy for Leclerc in the Netherlands was designed to cover the Mercedes driver, but according to Ferrari’s number 16, it wasn’t really necessary. In any case, Charles admits that the main responsibility for the incident lies with Kimi’s mistake.
It was an unlucky race for the Monegasque, who, at the time of the first pit stop, saw the Safety Car enter the track less than a lap later, causing him to lose positions. The second pit stop occurred in the final stages to defend against Kimi Antonelli’s undercut, but upon exiting the pits, he was immediately challenged by the Italian, which led to the crash.
The discussion with the pit wall
Immediately after retiring in the Netherlands, Charles Leclerc opened up over the radio, criticizing Ferrari’s strategic decision. The #16 driver would have preferred to stay out on the hard tire set and did not feel the need to pit at that stage. In post-race interviews, he stated that the incident was obviously not the team’s fault but rather Antonelli’s move.
“We can discuss the strategy. I spoke with the team, but that didn’t create the incident. Kimi was too optimistic in turn 3. It’s not a problem; you have to be aggressive, and mistakes happen. It hurts because it costs the team a lot,” Charles told the media, including ScuderiaFans.com.
Despite the Zandvoort result, Charles Leclerc finds some positives: “The pace was good. I had to be aggressive to recover the positions lost due to the first Safety Car misfortune. We did everything right, and it’s a shame. It was a very difficult weekend beyond just the race. Hopefully, we can start on the right foot in Monza.”
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