Charles Leclerc has now added his voice to the growing criticism of Ferrari's strategy at the Dutch Grand Prix, echoing teammate Lewis Hamilton's concerns. After years of strategic blunders, the Scuderia seemed to have fixed its issues, but at Zandvoort, the team once again struggled to commit to a clear plan, costing both drivers dearly.
The pivotal moment came when Lewis Hamilton closed onto the gearbox of Charles Leclerc with a significant tyre advantage. Hamilton was clearly faster, but instead of letting them race or swapping positions, Ferrari called Leclerc in for an early pit stop, a decision that also cost Hamilton valuable time due to the team's slow response.
“I didn't really understand why we had to box so close to George's pit stop, because that really was kind of signing to finishing behind George,” Leclerc told Sky Sports. “With a two or three-lap difference, for me, there wasn't much I could have done. I felt like there was a bit more in my tyres. Obviously, Lewis and I were on different strategies at that point, but I felt that what was right was staying a bit longer on the track.”
Leclerc also pointed to a stroke of bad luck with the timing of the Virtual Safety Car, but he admitted that the team's qualifying performance was the root cause: “We didn't do a good job yesterday in qualifying, and we paid the price of it by starting further down.”
Formula 1 now heads to Monza for the Italian Grand Prix, a race that holds special meaning for Leclerc, especially with rookie Kimi Antonelli also racing in front of his home crowd. However, the Monegasque driver is keeping his expectations in check, drawing parallels to Silverstone and Spa.
“If I look at Silverstone and Spa, on paper it was kind of like Monza where we expected to struggle, and we were a lot stronger than what we expected. I hope that happens again in Monza, but if you ask me as of now, I will tell you it's probably going to be a difficult weekend, but we'll have some upgrades, and I hope it will work,” he concluded.
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