Much has been discussed during the 2023 Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix about the chaos in the Ferrari pit, especially regarding Charles Leclerc’s race management. And chaos indeed ensued: the Maranello team did not promptly call Charles Leclerc into the pit during the first lap for the switch to intermediate tires – despite the torrential rain that was falling – and did not change the already damaged front wing of the Monegasque driver. However, the Ferrari man did not make it easy for the team during the early stages of the Dutch GP at the Zandvoort circuit located in the dunes north of Zandvoort
Analysis of Team Radio exchanges between Charles Leclerc and the pit in the early laps of the Dutch GP.
No Team Radio from the Monegasque in the first lap of the Dutch GP
Regarding the front wing, Charles Leclerc did not mention the contact with Oscar Piastri via radio, even though this had occurred several corners before the end of the lap. Considering that the contact is hardly noticeable from the onboard camera, it was up to Charles Leclerc to promptly inform the team of the incident and the potential damage, so that the team could consider a wing change if needed.
However, Charles Leclerc showed great intuition by immediately entering the pit lane to switch to intermediate tires, an excellent choice that turned out to be spot on.
Nevertheless, the Monegasque only notified the team of his imminent pit stop entry once he was already in the pit lane. This explains the chaos in the pit box with the missing tires.
Show your support for Scuderia Ferrari with official merchandise collection! Click here to enter the F1 online Store and shop securely! And also get your F1 tickets for every race with VIP hospitality and unparalleled insider access. Click here for the best offers to support Charles and Carlos from the track!
Clearly, Charles Leclerc made the right decision: if it had been up to the Ferrari pit wall, he would have stayed out for at least one more lap, losing even more seconds than were actually lost in the pit lane due to the missing tires. But the situation would have been different if the team had known about Charles Leclerc’s entry and had still been unprepared: thus, it’s not the team’s fault that the pit stop took so long.
Leave a Reply