A first race win in Formula 1 last year and an absolute disaster of a Grand Prix this year. Charles Leclerc finished the Belgian Grand Prix in 13th, the position he started the race in. Limited progress, but plenty of drama and frustration for the young Monegasque.
During Leclerc’s second pit stop, Ferrari appeared to be refilling the #16 car with what was later revealed as a precautionary pneumatic pressure top-up. The move resulted in a slow pit stop at a time, which did very little to comfort Charles Leclerc.
Having been passed multiple times despite getting a good start, Leclerc couldn’t hold back from expressing his frustration. In what appears to be a mix of French and Italian, Leclerc allegedly cursed angrily.
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Turns out, the Monegasque hadn’t turned his radio off, which meant the world was privy to Charles’ seemingly private moment of anger. Following his rant, Ferrari advised Leclerc to turn off his radio.
Leclerc admitted to not being polite when Ferrari explained the reason behind his slow pitstop. Nevertheless, Leclerc’s anger isn’t unjustified as the Scuderia seems lost. The SF1000 may be an uncompetitive car but the team’s pit wall appears redundant.
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Both Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel questioned the team’s strategies during the Belgian Grand Prix. Sadly, it was Leclerc who was on the receiving end of yet another one of Ferrari’s botched race plans.
Unfortunately, Ferrari’s horror show doesn’t end here. On the contrary, this is merely the beginning. Next week, Ferrari heads to Monza, the start of a two-week ‘homecoming’ that’s sure to bring more jibes and insults than praise.
Monza, the temple of speed, is a track where F1 teams run the least amount of downforce in a bid to achieve maximum top speeds. If the Kimmel straight was bad, the run down to turn 1 at Monza is going to be worse.
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Yesterday, Charles Leclerc advised Ferrari to remain in high spirits following a disappointing qualifying. The 22-year-old will need to heed his own advice after today’s debacle.