Charles Leclerc expressed his discontent with Ferrari’s strategic choice during qualifying, stating that it hindered his chances of securing pole position in today’s race. Despite starting in second place on the grid, Leclerc believed that he could have achieved pole position, as he had recorded faster lap times than Max Verstappen, who eventually took pole, earlier in the session. However, he felt thrown off by the fact that he had to use worn tires at the beginning of Q3.
Ferrari’s decision was based on Leclerc using a set of tires for only one lap in Q1, which raised concerns about the possibility of being eliminated if other drivers improved their times in the final runs. However, this precaution turned out to be unnecessary, as Leclerc was called back in after completing just one lap. Dissatisfied with the situation, Leclerc intends to discuss it with the team.
The early use of worn tires in Q3 presented challenges for Leclerc in assessing the grip levels, which had an impact on his performance. He mentioned the difficulty of adapting to changing track conditions with a set of tires that had already been used, disrupting his rhythm for the crucial final run.
During Q1, Leclerc’s initial lap time left Ferrari unsure about his progression to Q2, despite his teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. setting a faster time. As other drivers from different teams aimed to improve their lap times, Leclerc sought clarification from his race engineer regarding his position, but received ambiguous responses.
Despite Leclerc’s disagreement, Ferrari chose to send him out again, hoping to take advantage of the track conditions. However, once it became clear that Leclerc’s position was secure, the team instructed him to abort the run and return to the pits.
Ferrari’s cautious approach contrasted with their previous stance on daring decisions for performance gains. Leclerc’s dissatisfaction with the outcome highlighted a missed opportunity resulting from a conservative strategy, emphasizing the tensions between risk-taking and strategic conservatism in Formula One.