Ferrari slows Charles Leclerc with lift and coast, Jerome D’Ambrosio explains why | F1 Austrian GP. Ferrari confirms brake management issues on Leclerc’s SF-25 during the Austrian GP.

The eleventh round of the Formula 1 season has come to an end. This Austrian Grand Prix went better than expected for Ferrari, but once again Charles Leclerc was forced to slow down due to issues with his car. What’s going on with the SF-25? Jerome D’Ambrosio, standing in for Fred Vasseur, explained the situation and reassured the fans.

From the early laps at the Red Bull Ring, it was clear that the two Ferrari SF-25 cars of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton would not be able to keep up with their direct rivals in the McLaren cars. After a few laps within DRS range, the Monegasque began losing ground lap after lap, eventually falling about five seconds behind the leading pair by the time of the first pit stop.

For the remainder of the race, the two Maranello drivers were stuck in no man’s land: too far from the leaders, yet with a large advantage over George Russell’s Mercedes. As seen in previous races, Bryan Bozzi repeatedly asked Charles Leclerc to use lift and coast—easing off the throttle several meters before the actual braking point. But what’s the issue affecting the Ferrari in this first part of the season? The explanation came immediately after the checkered flag.

“Brake issue,” Jerome D’Ambrosio told Sky Sport F1. “That was our strategy to cool down the braking system, something we had already planned before the race. I understand it’s not pleasant for the driver, but we were really on the limit. Leclerc was running alone on track, so it made sense to slow down and bring the car home. It was all under control—nothing actually happened.”