Communication issues strike again at Ferrari. In Canada, Charles Leclerc believes in trying something bold, but the team does not. In the end, he finishes in fifth place.
Ferrari is left licking its wounds after a Canadian Grand Prix weekend that leaves a bitter taste. Between problems, errors, and questionable decisions, the Scuderia trails behind the other top teams, finishing P5 and P6. Charles Leclerc, in particular, voiced his frustration over the team’s decisions during the race.
Ultimately, Charles Leclerc’s mistakes on Friday and Saturday likely cost him a potential podium. The Monegasque started the race in P8, behind Norris, with whom he shared the same initial strategy. Both opted for the hard tyre, unlike the majority who started on mediums.
This choice initially appeared to pay off, as the medium compound began to degrade quickly. Disagreements with the team began around the first pit stop: the team committed to “Plan B,” meaning a two-stop strategy, while Charles Leclerc asked to go for “Plan C.”
This suggested that the 1997-born driver wanted to attempt a bold move by extending his stint and making only one stop. But Ferrari didn’t follow his request and called him into the pits on lap 28 to fit another set of hards.
From that point on, Charles Leclerc began expressing his disagreement over the radio. Even for the second pit stop, the two sides didn’t align: the Monegasque requested to switch to mediums as early as possible to chase down rivals, while the team feared the tyre wouldn’t last and only brought him in on lap 54.
Charles Leclerc’s post-race comments
“Yes, I was quite convinced during the first part of the race,” Charles Leclerc told Mara Sangiorgio regarding his belief that a one-stop strategy was possible in Canada. “Especially when I saw George Russell had just pitted for new hards and wasn’t lapping much quicker.”
“He was faster, but only by four tenths or so, and that’s when I thought maybe there was something we could try. I had a few numbers in mind, and the degradation was better than expected, so a one-stop was something we could have considered.” – the Monegasque driver pointed out.
“Also, looking at Lewis’ first stint on mediums, he seemed a bit more comfortable, so I had a lot of faith in the mediums,” he continued. “Then again, the pit wall always has more data than we do in the car. Yes, this result also stems from mistakes in FP1 and the traffic in yesterday’s qualifying. That made this Sunday much more difficult.” – he added.
“There’s frustration because we don’t have the car to win, but what frustrates me more isn’t the others’ situation,” Charles Leclerc concluded.
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