Following the British Grand Prix, Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur responded to Mercedes driver George Russell’s complaints about Charles Leclerc’s defensive moves during their duel in the race which was held at the Silverstone circuit last weekend.
Throughout the first part of the race, George Russell and Charles Leclerc were engaged in a battle for fourth place, but the British driver took issue with the Monegasque’s defensive maneuvers heading into Stowe early on, claiming on the team radio that he was “moving under braking” in an attempt to keep the Mercedes W14 behind him.
When questioned about George Russell’s grievances, the Ferrari team principal didn’t seem to share the same perspective on the situation. After the British Grand Prix, George Russell criticized Charles Leclerc’s defending as “questionable,” expressing his dissatisfaction with the Ferrari man’s actions, especially considering Russell was on a softer tire compound and attempting to overtake as he seemed faster.
“Some questionable defending from Charles at points,” George Russell said at the end of the British Grand Prix in an interview for Sky F1. “Just couldn’t get past. It was a little bit frustrating, just didn’t quite have the edge to get past him in the corners I needed. But in the end it didn’t really change my race. I think had I got past him earlier, I would have probably pitted even earlier, still being caught out by the Safety Car.” – he added.
Despite George Russell’s initial struggle to overtake Charles Leclerc in the first stint at the Silverstone track, their tire strategies changed in the second part of the race, with the Monegasque switching to hard tires and George Russell using mediums given the low tyre degradation. Eventually this heled the British driver, who was able to make a bold move around the outside of Luffield, allowing him to pass the Ferrari SF-23 car.
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Regarding Frederic Vasseur’s response to George Russell’s criticism of Charles Leclerc’s firm defense, the Ferrari team principal swiftly expressed his own sentiments. He pointed out that the Mercedes man’s defensive style has also faced criticism several time during the 2023 Formula 1 championship: “Yeah, I can show you some action of the beginning of the season,” he said at the end of the race – “He did also good ones. That’s life.”
Scuderia Ferrari’s decision to switch to hard tires did not yield the desired results. Consequently, the Ferrari man chose to make a second pit stop for a set of mediums when the Safety Car provided this opportunity, temporarily losing his position in the points and requiring him to fight his way back into contention.
“I’m not [happy]. starting from P4 and P5 we had the feeling after quali that we could have done a much better job than this. We can’t be happy finishing P9 and P10, but now we need to have a deep look on the weekend, not just on the race.” – Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur concluded at the end of the British Grand Prix.
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