Charles Leclerc expressed his loud frustration about Ferrari’s performance following the Formula 1 qualifying session for the Canadian Grand Prix. However, according to Ralf Schumacher, the Monegasque driver should have focused on his own actions instead.
“We can’t afford to make these mistakes again,” grumbled Charles Leclerc last Saturday in Montreal after unexpectedly exiting in Q2.
He believed that the Ferrari team was at fault because he had wanted to switch to slick tires, but the control room initially left intermediates on his car due to the drying track.
Leclerc eventually received the slick tyres, but he pointed out that it then “started to rain harder again.” He questioned why such situations keep happening to them, stating, “I don’t understand it. It’s not the first time we’ve messed up like this.”
After a few laps on slicks, Leclerc dropped to eleventh in Q2, and he switched to intermediates for the last time. However, a mistake from the Ferrari driver led to his exit.
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Schumacher: “It’s Leclerc’s own fault”
Although Leclerc’s intuition seemed correct, TV expert Ralf Schumacher believed that his criticism was exaggerated. The former Formula 1 driver and “Sky” commentator criticized Leclerc, saying, “Certainly, Ferrari’s timing was not great. But Charles Leclerc has been off the track too often, so we have to question why. He even received a warning from the stewards for that.”
Regarding Leclerc’s qualifying mishap, Schumacher emphasized that “as a driver, something like that would not have happened to him. As a driver, I made the decision of when to come in. I believe it’s the responsibility of the driver to decide which tires to use.”
He made it clear that his teams “never told him what to do because I’m the only one out there who can see how wet or dry it is.”
The 47-year-old added, “It’s Leclerc’s own fault.”
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Mick Schumacher comments on Ferrari situation
Meanwhile, the uncle of Mercedes reserve driver Mick Schumacher was bothered by a different issue, saying, “I also don’t like the radio communication at Ferrari. Sainz and Leclerc are frequently shouting. It gives the impression that drivers and engineers are not on the same page at all. Ferrari should change that.”
“We had a constructive conversation with Charles” Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur downplayed the controversy surrounding Charles Leclerc and his public criticism.
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“There is always room for improvement. But it’s true that the first impression you get ten seconds after qualifying is not always the best. We had a constructive conversation with Charles.”
Vasseur explained that Leclerc had a “different perception of the situation from inside the car.” He stated, “It’s always valuable to receive feedback from the drivers, but at the command post, we made a decision based on the available information.”
In the end, the team boss was quite satisfied with Leclerc’s fourth-place finish and Carlos Sainz’s fifth-place finish.
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