As the roaring engines echoed through the COTA, a number of twists took center stage. However, one such twist stood apart. As Tifosi’s golden boy, Charles Leclerc unfortunately became captive of his own abilities. With hopes of his first win of the season gone right at lap 1 of the US GP, a blunder from Vasseur and co. only made things worse.

Ferrari had an absolute disaster show at the United States Grand Prix. Despite the SF23 suiting the nature of the track, race strategies of team principal Frederic Vasseur and Co. ultimately took away a podium finish for Leclerc. However, recent details regarding the reason behind the abysmal strategy from Ferrari have left them bewildered.

The disqualification of Charles Leclerc and Ferrari’s blunder at the US GP

Buckle up Ferrari fans. If things weren’t bad enough for you already, it just got even worse. Recent reports have emerged about the reasoning behind Ferrari’s decision to have Leclerc on a one-pit-stop strategy. And this might either shock you or not surprise you at all, depending on the expectations you have from them.

Reports have emerged that the reason why Ferrari’s Frederic Vasseur and co. put Leclerc on one pit stop strategy is because of the driver’s exceptional tire management at the Circuit of The Americas. Yes, this is true. It might be hard for some fans to believe this, but seasoned Ferrari fans are most likely not surprised. Apparently, for some drivers, managing the tires well comes at a dear cost. Yikes!

Before the start of the race, the majority of the teams and analysts predicted tire degradation to be a key factor. This was due to the demanding circuit of the US GP, and high temperature in Austin, Texas. This is why Frederic Vasseur and Co.’s race strategy for Leclerc makes absolutely no sense.

READ MORE: Ex-Ferrari Boss Consoles Charles Leclerc as Frederic Vasseur & Co.’s “Ridiculous Strategy” Costs Big

This was further highlighted by Pierre Gasly’s recent comments. He recently unveiled that Leclerc came to see him on the grid before the start of the race. There, he told the Alpine driver about his race strategy and Gasly’s reaction perfectly sums it all up. He did not shy away from making a mockery of Ferrari for derailing Leclerc’s race. Leclerc’s day got even worse as he and Hamilton got disqualified from the US GP due to post-race plank checks.

Can Ferrari recover from this mess?

With only four races remaining in the season, things are not looking well for the Tifosi. With McLaren and Red Bull looking considerably sharper, getting a podium finish will be very challenging for the Ferrari drivers. Moreover, thanks to a new floor introduced in COTA, Mercedes too looks quite fast.

It remains to see what will happen next, for Ferrari. The upcoming Mexican Grand Prix is most likely going to be more challenging for Ferrari. With the added pressure from the blunder at the US GP, it’ll be interesting to see whether they are able to get out of the hole that they themselves dug.

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Ultimately, the saga at COTA serves as a poignant reminder of the delicate equilibrium between strategic calculations and on-track performance. With Ferrari’s blunder at the US GP and Leclerc’s disqualification, the Prancing Horse faces an uphill battle. As the season progresses, the pressure mounts for the team to bounce back from this critical setback.