Charles Leclerc’s Nightmare at Silverstone: “Strategy Mistake? My Fault. But the Issue was the Pace”
Silverstone witnessed Charles Leclerc’s Formula 1 race turning into a complete disaster, marking possibly his worst performance to date. With a disappointing 14th place finish, everything seemed to go wrong for the Monegasque driver – from strategic errors to driving mistakes and a lackluster race pace that failed to match the competitiveness showcased by his teammate Lewis Hamilton, who secured a podium finish.
Reflecting on his performance in the post-race interview, Leclerc took responsibility for the mishaps but also emphasized the need to closely analyze the day’s data. Admitting his strategic blunder, Leclerc acknowledged, “Strategy? I am not happy with my decision, and it was my decision. I thought the first and second sectors were suitable for slick tires. The third sector was wet, but I expected the track to dry much faster. That was not the case. This is part of the reason we had a bad race.”
The Monegasque driver continued, “But I would say the most crucial part was the lack of pace. I cannot answer that until I get back home. I will work hard to try to understand what was happening.” Despite his own struggles, Leclerc found solace in Hamilton’s performance, recognizing the Briton’s superior pace, “I have not seen Lewis’ pace yet, but he was definitely much stronger than me. So, the only positive thing I can say is that when Lewis is on the same car and he was much faster than me today, there are definitely some things I can learn from a day like this. Because when the team is struggling and both drivers are struggling, it is much harder to know what is happening.”
Regarding the upcoming rear suspension upgrade expected for Spa, Leclerc remained evasive, stating, “I cannot answer about this,” while expressing skepticism about resolving the mysterious ‘qualifying issue’ he had alluded to earlier, “Solving it in the short term? I don’t think so,” concluded the Ferrari driver.
In summary, Charles Leclerc faced a challenging race weekend at Silverstone, plagued by a series of setbacks and performance issues. As he navigates through this rough patch, the Monegasque driver remains determined to analyze the data and bounce back stronger in the upcoming races.