Spanish GP: Leclerc Explains Getting ‘Angry’ at Ferrari Over Team Radio

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc couldn’t have hoped for a better Spanish Grand Prix. He secured a P4 finish in Barcelona, and one of his highlights was his move on Valtteri Bottas for P3 in the opening lap.

While Leclerc was content with P4, there’s a part of him that wanted to go for the podium. That part of him showed in his anger with his team, who weren’t giving him the information he needed.

F1 drivers are under an immense amount of pressure when they’re competing, and that is even more intense this year with the mid-field battle getting competitive. Moreover, when you factor in the challenge Ferrari are facing this year, trying to regain their lost glory, Leclerc’s anger seems all the more justified.

Charles Leclerc wanted to know Bottas’ pace, got Ricciardo’s instead

When he was driving ahead of Daniel Ricciardo and Bottas, the 23-year-old felt that Ferrari’s update of Ricciardo’s pace was needless. Instead, he wanted to be aware of the Finn’s pace since he was a bigger threat for the podium.

Speaking to Sky Italy, as quotes by Planet F1, the Monegasque explained his emotion at the time, “Indeed on the radio I got angry because they kept telling me the times of Ricciardo, but I wanted the ones of Bottas behind me because I wanted to aim for the podium.

“There was optimism but in the end, I wanted to try, but we didn’t make it.”

READ MORE: Spanish GP: Nikita Mazepin Ahead of Daniel Ricciardo in F1 Driver of the Day Vote

Ferrari got their strategy right on Sunday

Leclerc was happy with the strategy that Ferrari implemented on Sunday, calling it ‘the perfect race.’ He said, “Honestly today we did the perfect race. We didn’t make any mistakes, the strategy was good, the tyre management was good as well.”

The 23-year-old also pointed out the improvement he has made in tire management as a key takeaway from the race. He said, “I’m working a lot on that. In 2019 I was really weak on that and we saw that because I had many poles but not a lot of wins. That was my fault. So I’ll keep working on that, but for sure I already made a huge step forward.”

With the next race in his hometown of Monaco, Leclerc will look forward to making an impact. Can he put the red car on the podium in 13 days’ time?