Despite taking home the win at the British Grand Prix this weekend, it was a mixed day for the Ferrari F1 team. While Carlos Sainz took his first win in F1 on Sunday, their championship protagonist Charles Leclerc finished in P4. Leclerc was leading the race with 15 laps to go when the safety car came out. But he was a sitting duck as the team decided not to change his tires.

Clearly, Leclerc wasn’t happy after the race. He has been the leading Ferrari driver this season and has led the charge on most occasions. But former F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve reveals that contractually there is no No.1 driver in the team. He also revealed that there is no clause that says Leclerc is their lead driver.

Giving his thoughts on Leclerc’s team radio, where he asked the team to swap positions with Sainz, Villeneuve said, “Then Leclerc spoke as if he had already definitively been declared lead driver and he is not, including contractually. It’s too early for that, Sainz still has a chance. He scored well today and after a good result and a poor day for the competition, he can be right back at it.”

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“A decision too early while two drivers have a chance at the title can also cost you as a team. Eddie Irvine left many points to Michael Schumacher in 1999 and eventually lost the championship as a result,” added the 1997 world champion.

He also wrote about the Monegasque driver’s lack of communication skills with the team during the 2022 season.

Charles Leclerc needs to work on his communication with the team, according to Jacques Villeneuve

The Canadian gave some advice to the Monegasque in his column. The Canadian mentioned Leclerc has to work on his communication with the team. Sainz has been more vocal on the team radios and has often taken matters into his own hands, unlike his teammate. And this has certainly rewarded him.

“What he does need to work on is his communication with the team. Sure, Sainz was slower yesterday, but a one-two was definitely on. The moment they made the tire change made sense otherwise because they were losing the race at that moment. But that was not the case in the previous phase,” said Villeneuve.

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The Italian team needs to get their priorities straight if they want to win the championship this season. They cannot afford to have any more costly mistakes like Silverstone. But they also need to sort out if they have a No.1 driver in the team that they can back in pressure situations.