Charles Leclerc goes without slipstream in Monza qualifying: Fred Vasseur explains Ferrari’s strategy. Charles Leclerc finished P4 in Monza qualifying without a slipstream from teammate Lewis Hamilton.

F1 | Charles Leclerc finished P4 in Monza qualifying without a slipstream from teammate Lewis Hamilton

Ferrari delivered a slightly underwhelming performance in qualifying at Monza, with team principal Frederic Vasseur explaining why the team chose not to give Charles Leclerc a slipstream during his final Q3 attempt.

Once again, Ferrari’s qualifying session ended slightly below expectations at Monza. Charles Leclerc secured P4 and Lewis Hamilton P5, although Hamilton will drop to P10 due to a penalty. After the session, Frederic Vasseur clarified why Maranello decided not to provide the Monegasque driver with a slipstream.

This topic had been one of the hottest discussions of the qualifying session. In Q3, considering Hamilton’s five-place grid penalty from the Dutch GP, many were speculating about a potential slipstream that Lewis Hamilton could have given to his teammate. At Monza, with its long and numerous straights, a slipstream can provide roughly half a tenth of a second per lap.

However, in Q3, Ferrari sent the cars out immediately, with only Yuki Tsunoda ahead on track. Crucially, between the two Ferrari drivers, it was Charles Leclerc who went out first. What happened? Frederic Vasseur explained it to SkySportF1: “The margins were very tight today. In Q1, for example, there were 16 cars within just a few tenths. Lando Norris also risked not making it to the final session. Starting from fourth position is not bad at all, especially considering the gap to turn 1. Last year, we even won from the same position.”

On the topic of the slipstream, Fred Vasseur added: “The decision, I believe, was the right one. We wanted to focus completely on the preparation lap. In a couple of recent Grands Prix, we saw just how much that lap can affect the maximum-effort lap. We decided to do it this way, without sacrificing anyone, and seeing Leclerc’s gap, I don’t think he would have taken pole anyway. Charles understood and didn’t ask for it. It would have been different if Lewis had started from the pit lane. On our final lap, we made a small mistake in turn 1, which cost us some rhythm.”

The discussion concluded with some predictions for tomorrow’s race: “We have a very low downforce setup. Tire management will be more challenging in areas like Ascari, Lesmo, and the Parabolica. The pace is good, and we hope to replicate last season’s performance.”