Vasseur admits ‘miscommunication’ in race with Leclerc, but it’s not a priority for the team to fix. After the radio exchange mix-up in Jeddah, Ferrari team boss Frederic Vasseur has admitted that the team have to deal with Charles Leclerc’s communication problem during the Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, but they have worse problems.
Following a disappointing race for the Scuderia, where Charles Leclerc saw the podium slip away, and finishing more than 40 seconds behind the winner, Sergio Perez, in the second round of the season in Jeddah.
Starting the weekend with a handicap after retiring in Bahrain, Leclerc nevertheless set the second fastest time in qualifying before dropping 10 places following the use of new powertrain components incurring a grid penalty.
The following day, starting 12th, the Monegasque had a conclusive first race stint, climbing back into the top five, before the safety car was deployed on lap 18 to allow Lance Stroll’s car to be evacuated at Turn 13.
Frustrating weekend for Ferrari in Jeddah 😤 #SaudiArabianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/305zmgwXLW
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 21, 2023
Ferrari cockup
It was at this point that the incident occurred. Leclerc, who was ahead of Lewis Hamilton before his pit stop, came out behind the Mercedes driver, having been informed too late that he had to push from the “safety car line 1”.
A disgruntled Leclerc replied, “You have to tell me first,” before adding, “No, but seriously!”
MORE F1 NEWS: Bold claim: “Formula 1 needs Hamilton in a Ferrari”
Top 15 TJ13 F1 Fantasy League standings – Click to join today
After the race, Ferrari boss Frédéric Vasseur admitted it had not been a “good decision”, before adding that the team would look into the miscommunication that affected Leclerc, although at the moment it was not a priority.
“It’s not the main problem,” he added, “and I think it would be a mistake on our part to focus on it.”
“I don’t want to say it’s a detail. It’s a miscommunication and we’ll have to talk about it to fix the problem. It’s not the main problem of this weekend at all.”
READ MORE: Hamilton retracts apology to Mercedes
