The British Grand Prix, the tenth round of the 2022 Formula 1 World Championship held last Sunday at the Silverstone track, will be remembered for the strategic error committed by the Scuderia Ferrari pit wall against Charles Leclerc, which led to the Monegasque driver not only missing out on the race win, but also on a podium finish. A choice, that of keeping Charles Leclerc on the track and not changing his old hard tyres, which Jacques Villeneuve also focused on. For the 1997 Formula 1 world champion, the Maranello team once again showed that they were making serious mistakes, effectively losing a one-two finish in the British Grand Prix that seemed absolutely within reach until the strategy decision not to pit Charles:
“What I liked about Charles Leclerc’s race was his speed with the damaged front wing – wrote Jacques Villeneuve in his post-race editorial on the formule1.nl website – “There is no logic behind the decision to let him continue with the old hard. The safety car in the final phase allowed for a double pit stop. And I always see Ferrari making such mistakes. Perhaps they hoped Carlos Sainz would stop Lewis Hamilton or feared Hamilton would not stop if Charles Leclerc entered. I understand Leclerc’s anger after the race, this is another example of a conservative strategy” – he added.
Jacques Villeneuve, continuing his analysis on Ferrari, spoke about Carlos Sainz’s world championship chances, as the Spanish driver took his first career victory at Silverstone and added: “Sainz still has a chance. Today (Sunday, editor’s note) he did well and after a good result and one less race, he can get back into the game. Making a decision prematurely on which two drivers have a chance for the title can also cost you as a team. Eddie Irvine gave Michael Schumacher a lot of points in 1999 and eventually lost the championship.” – Jacques Villeneuve concluded.
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