Charles Leclerc dropped to fourth place but later moved up to third during the Belgian Grand Prix in Formula 1. Leclerc has provided an explanation for Ferrari’s decision not to take a risk with a one-stop strategy, citing track position and lack of data on the Hard tires. Despite challenging wet conditions, Leclerc managed to secure a strong qualifying position, just behind Max Verstappen. However, he eventually lost his advantage to Lewis Hamilton and remained in that position until the end. In the final stages, Ferrari’s competitiveness declined, and Leclerc was unable to keep Oscar Piastri behind or catch George Russell, who had opted for a one-stop strategy.
Russell, later disqualified for an underweight car, expressed surprise that other teams didn’t make the same choice. Leclerc believes that, given his position at the time, it would have been too risky to deviate from the conventional strategy for a potentially better outcome. He emphasized the difficulty of making decisions with multiple cars on the track and the need to take calculated risks.
Leclerc also expressed surprise at Mercedes’ race-winning pace, acknowledging that Ferrari’s speed was not sufficient to achieve the same success with the strategy Russell employed. Ferrari team boss Frederic Vasseur agreed with Leclerc’s assessment, noting that Russell had less to lose by pitting as he was already in a net fifth place. Vasseur highlighted the challenge of making strategy decisions based on track position and the uncertainty of how the Hard tires would perform. He noted that teams can afford to take more risks when they are at the back of the group.
