Charles Leclerc sarcastic about lost pit-stop and denied DRS: “With Lewis, we could win…”

Charles Leclerc sarcastic about lost pit-stop and denied DRS: “With Lewis, we could win…” | F1 Imola GP. Charles Leclerc’s Imola race was marked by bad luck, including a lost opportunity for a soft-tyre pit-stop.

Race “of heart” but unlucky
Charles Leclerc’s race in Imola, which nonetheless saw him climb from 11th to 6th, was heavily affected by bad luck at crucial moments. The strategy devised by the Monegasque and the Ferrari team, which probably could have secured 4th place for #16, was ruined by the Virtual Safety Car, deployed to remove Esteban Ocon’s Haas.

A further hard blow to the ’97-born’s ambitions came with the deployment of the real Safety Car, called out by Race Direction following Kimi Antonelli’s retirement. This situation then triggered yet another communication misunderstanding between the Ferrari driver and the pit wall. Leclerc had a lengthy discussion with his race engineer, Bryan Bozzi, about the possibility of pitting to fit soft tyres.

The ‘stolen’ pit-stop
When Charles Leclerc called in, there were 17 laps remaining to the chequered flag, but the Safety Car stayed out for seven laps, so fitting soft tyres might have been the right move. What stopped the Monegasque’s stop, however, was… his teammate Lewis Hamilton, who was ahead on track and pitted first, effectively ‘stealing’ the pit-stop opportunity from the other SF-25.

In this hectic moment, Charles Leclerc also made a sarcastic remark aimed at Hamilton before Bozzi brought him back in line. Later in the race, during his fight with Albon, Charles Leclerc was also denied help from the veteran Brit: after the Williams went off into the gravel and before being told to let Albon through, Charles Leclerc asked Lewis Hamilton, who had meanwhile passed both, to help him defend by giving him DRS. The request was refused because “Hamilton is going after Piastri.”

Team radio with Bryan Bozzi
Below is the full transcript of the exchange between car #16 and the Ferrari pit wall:

Lap 46-47/63
Bozzi: “We have to stay out, we don’t have tyres that can last until the end.”
Leclerc: “Softs would be better.”
Bozzi: “17 laps Charles, 17 laps to go.”
Leclerc: “How many laps have my [used] mediums got?”
Bozzi: “Mediums have 11 laps.”
Leclerc: “Tell me which are better, these are f***ed. We have a new soft, right?”
Bozzi: “So: Hamilton ahead doesn’t want to pit.”
Leclerc: “I don’t care, I don’t care! We’re talking about us. Do we have a new soft?”
Bozzi: “So you want a new soft? Yes, we have a new soft. Now tell me [what you want to do].”
Leclerc: “I mean… with these tyres I can’t restart. So yes.”
Bozzi: “Box Charles, box. Let me know which wing you want for the softs.”
Leclerc: “Wait, wait. Ahahah… I didn’t pit, Lewis did. I don’t intend to wait behind him and still lose positions.”
Bozzi: “Ok, now we have to stay out.”
Leclerc: “Ah, that for sure.”
Bozzi: “I repeat, Charles: those ahead of you stayed out, for your info.”
Leclerc: “Yeah, I think we can win the race with Lewis…”
Bozzi: “Ok Charles, reset.”
Leclerc: “Are you sure we can’t pit now? I’m not behind the Safety Car.”
Bozzi: “Now everyone else can push, so they will recover time. Stay out.”
Leclerc: “I can’t push, so they can’t either behind me.”
Bozzi: “Now you can.”