Charles Leclerc’s disillusionment with Ferrari is intensifying with each passing weekend, and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to fault his sentiments.
Formula 1 strategy decisions are inherently complex, but a team of Ferrari’s stature should excel in making the right calls at critical moments.
Last season, Ferrari’s title challenge crumbled primarily due to flawed strategy decisions, and it appears their weaknesses persist.
This was evident during qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix, where Leclerc suffered the consequences.
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As the track started to dry in Q2 and rain had yet to arrive, Alex Albon boldly opted for slick tyres.
The Williams driver set the fastest time of the session, prompting most others to switch to slicks as well. However, Leclerc found himself on the wrong strategy.
Over the radio, Leclerc requested to be put on soft tyres, but his request was denied.
The team believed it was safer to follow Max Verstappen’s choice of intermediates, considering the excellent track record of Red Bull’s strategy department in recent years.
However, this decision proved costly for Leclerc.
By the time Ferrari realised their error and acknowledged that Leclerc should have been on slicks, it was too late.
Those who had made the right tyre choice had already set faster lap times, leaving Leclerc eliminated in Q2 with only the 11th fastest time.
Leclerc expressed his anger after the session and recognised the recurring pattern of blunders by his team.
“We need to do a step forward now because this is not the first time it has happened,” he asserted, sounding somewhat threatening towards his team.
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“I’m getting a bit sick and tired of this, guys’.”
This incident follows a recent penalty Leclerc received in Monaco for impeding Lando Norris during qualifying.
The reason he was unaware of Norris’s presence behind him was because the team was preoccupied with informing him about Verstappen’s lap time.