Charles Leclerc achieved a fourth place finish at the 2024 Chinese Grand Prix. Leclerc and Fred Vasseur turned their fortunes around this season by focusing on the strategy department. Their efforts seemed to pay off, as the races in Australia and Japan earned the Scuderia praise for their development. However, this development was brought into question at the Chinese GP, and the reason behind it has been explained.
Most of the field, including the race winner, opted for a two-stopper due to the high tire wear at Shanghai. On the other hand, Ferrari has improved their tire degradation with the SF-24 and is known for their bold strategy calls in the 2024 season. However, Leclerc questioned the team’s bold one-stop strategy during the 53-lap race.
Vasseur dismissed questions about Leclerc’s lack of trust in the strategy. He stated that Leclerc questioned the team when they were unsure whether to choose a one-stop or two-stop strategy. This occurred before the safety car phase when the circumstances were different.
Despite Leclerc’s uncertainty, the strategy seemed to work well as he finished just a few seconds behind the race winner. He has also consistently finished in the top four in every race this season.
The team had hopes for Ferrari’s pace at the Shanghai International Circuit. However, both Leclerc and his teammate qualified sixth and seventh on the grid, making the race more challenging than anticipated.
Leclerc shared his thoughts on the weekend, stating that they expected to perform better in the race but struggled at this circuit. They need to evaluate their setup and make improvements to the car for this type of circuit. Leclerc focused on maintaining his position and successfully held off Russell on new tires.
Sainz, after a subpar qualifying performance, faced constant pressure from behind. Despite opting for a one-stopper strategy, he faced a quick challenge from another driver to secure a top-five finish. Sainz was unable to continue his streak of podium finishes but was satisfied with the result considering the pace of the SF-24 in Shanghai.