David Coulthard highlights Ferrari’s newfound assertiveness with Charles Leclerc in Montreal. David Coulthard praised Ferrari’s improved radio clarity with Charles Leclerc at the Canadian Grand Prix.

Ferrari show signs of progress in Canadian GP as David Coulthard praises improved communication with Charles Leclerc

Ferrari once again left the Canadian Grand Prix at the 4.361-kilometre Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Montreal grappling with their place in the 2025 Formula 1 pecking order, as they appeared to have only the fourth-fastest car in Montreal. While Mercedes joined McLaren and Red Bull in the list of race winners this season—thanks to a commanding drive from George Russell—Ferrari were left trying to salvage points amid a frustrating weekend.

McLaren have emerged as the dominant force in 2025, consistently setting the pace, but Red Bull and Max Verstappen have ensured a competitive title fight by staying in close pursuit. Amid this, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were limited to fifth and sixth-place finishes respectively at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

Lewis Hamilton encountered issues during the race, including brake complaints over team radio and damage to his floor after an unfortunate collision with a groundhog. Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc made steady gains following a challenging qualifying session but was never truly in contention for a podium finish, which would have been his fourth of the year.

Despite the modest result, former F1 driver David Coulthard observed a key development that suggested progress within the Ferrari camp. He picked up on a moment of in-race radio communication between Charles Leclerc and his race engineer Bryan Bozzi that, in his view, reflected a more assertive and coherent operational approach—something the Scuderia has been criticized for lacking in recent seasons.

David Coulthard applauds Ferrari’s authoritative race call with Leclerc in Montreal

While working as part of Channel 4’s broadcast team for the Canadian Grand Prix, Coulthard noted a radio exchange in which Charles Leclerc’s engineer instructed him to switch to “Plan B.” Leclerc, however, countered with a preference for “Plan C,” which his engineer acknowledged without debate. According to the former Formula 1 driver, this straightforward and decisive interaction marked a notable change in Ferrari’s strategic demeanor.

David Coulthard later remarked that this type of communication was something Ferrari had historically struggled with, often showing hesitancy or conflicting instructions. In his analysis, the clarity and alignment between driver and team in Montreal represented a positive shift. He believed that when a team and its driver are fully in sync, it breeds confidence and ultimately leads to improved performance on track.

Charles Leclerc’s strategy questions spark criticism from Valsecchi and Villeneuve

Nevertheless, not all observers were convinced by Charles Leclerc’s conduct during the race. The Monegasque driver, who has questioned Ferrari’s strategy multiple times this season, later expressed doubts over the team’s decisions in Montreal as well. He indicated that he believed a one-stop strategy might have been viable, although that would have required a long final stint on the medium tyres.

The late-race safety car brought out by Lando Norris’ crash could have allowed the Ferrari driver to pit with minimal time loss, but by that stage, he may have already compromised his performance with excessive tyre wear. In a race where tyre degradation proved a major challenge, the outcome of any alternate strategy remained speculative at best.

Former F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve weighed in on the radio messages, suggesting that Ferrari needed better cohesion between the pit wall and the cockpit. While his criticism was measured, he did point to a lack of consistent alignment as something the team must address going forward.

However, Davide Valsecchi was far more direct. The Italian pundit dismissed Charles Leclerc’s in-race commentary and stated that the driver should focus on his performance rather than second-guessing strategy decisions mid-race. The 2012 GP2 Series champion implied that given the Monegasque’s mistakes earlier in the weekend, he wasn’t in a strong position to critique the team’s calls and insisted that it was time for him to concentrate on execution rather than questioning instructions.