Leclerc wants "whole picture" of Silverstone F1 strategy of Ferrari

Charles Leclerc is interested in learning the "whole picture" of how Ferrari's performance at the Formula 1 British Grand Prix developed and the reasons behind the team's tactical decisions

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Charles Leclerc is interested in learning the "full view" of how Ferrari's performance at the Formula 1 British Grand Prix developed and the reasons behind the team's tactical decisions.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari’s lead, was kept out on the track on hard tyres while pitting Carlos Sainz for softs, Late in the race, when the safety car appeared. Almost everyone else in the race made the same choice. The team didn't want to double stack its cars, and Leclerc was kept out since he was in a better position on the track and had newer tyres than Sainz, Team Head Mattia Binotto subsequently acknowledged.

Leclerc, who had a damaged front wing from the beginning, was left exposed when the race restarted due to the hard tyres. Despite an admirable defensive effort, he dropped to fourth after losing positions to Sainz, Sergio Perez, and Lewis Hamilton.

Leclerc had a quick conversation with Binotto after getting out of his car in the parc ferme before meeting the media. Regarding the choice not to pit his vehicle, he said, "I don't want to say now; I want to discuss it and have the whole view with the team what the cause was."

"Obviously I felt personally I was very strong in the first part of the race and that I lost a little bit of time - whether this would have changed the end result, I don’t think it would have, but just for the future, we need to check everything."

When asked if he had spoken over the radio, he responded: "No, because it was obviously very late, and then the team said to stay out. So I cannot come in obviously if we are not aligned on that, and that was it”.

After the race, Leclerc stated he spoke with Binotto "simply to try and cheer me up." He continued, "He tried, but then of course the disappointment is big for me. The race has been like a rollercoaster. There was a lot of understeer on the first lap when I shattered the front wing, so I assumed the race was finished.”

“Then I managed to play around with my toggles and managed to have a bit more a strong front, and then the pace came back and we were very strong.
"And then the win was feeling more and more possible, and then obviously the safety car and that was it. It’s frustrating.”

Leclerc declared that he had loved the final struggle for his position, particularly his conflict with Hamilton.

When questioned by Motorsport.com about how difficult it was to defend on the hards, he responded, "I don't know how much you've seen of it but it was very near the limit. And I had to be on the limit to try and keep my position, which I did. I don’t think I could have done much better than that. It was fun, on the other hand, I was very frustrated".

He added, “I was on the limit, but again I had to. In my position, I was on used tyres, and all of this was very tricky, so I just had to use everything that was possible. I was always checking that Lewis was a bit behind at the apex to try and remember the rule, and to play with the rules. I tried to do my best. I still thought that everything was possible, and I gave everything until the end. It wasn’t enough, but even though I knew it would have been very, very difficult, I believed in it until the last lap.”

Despite his own unhappiness, Leclerc emphasized that he was happy to see his teammate Sainz win his maiden Grand Prix.

“Of course, and I think this is an important point. As much as I am disappointed on my side I don’t think this should be a headline on what is an amazing first victory for Carlos. It’s a dream come true I think. Whenever you are a child, you dream of this moment, and especially with Ferrari, so he needs to enjoy it. It’s his day. and hopefully next time it will be my day.”

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