Ferrari failed to secure any silverware at the Spanish GP. Despite Fred Vasseur’s optimism after qualifying, neither of the SF-24 cars finished ahead of Mercedes. Leclerc almost took fourth place from Russell in the final lap but narrowly missed out. After the race, the Monegasque complained about Carlos Sainz’s overtake in the first stint. The Spaniard’s overtake resulted in contact and minor damage.
LECLERC: “CARLOS SHOULDN’T HAVE TAKEN THAT RISK AT THAT MOMENT”
In front of the microphones of Sky Sport, Leclerc explained why, from his point of view, Sainz did not behave in the best way:
“The fight with Carlos was not correct, but above all, it was not right at that moment. After this morning’s briefing, we knew that this was the moment we both had to save the tyre, especially in the last corner.
“On that lap, I did it. But I saw that he didn’t do it at all, and he overtook me at the end of the straight.
“That’s how it happened, but we shouldn’t have taken the risk of going around the bend as if I wasn’t there. Unfortunately, I damaged my front wing on the left, and this made me lose some time .”
The episode, therefore, left some consequences that will have to be clarified between the two. Even though Sainz allowed Leclerc to pass him at the end of the race, there is plenty to review at Ferrari:
“We will talk within the team. In the end, it is also his home grand prix. I think it is an important moment for his career, and he wanted to do something spectacular.
“It wasn’t the right time to do it, and in the end, it cost us a position. I think it wasn’t very nice, but that’s how it is .”
A PROBLEMATIC WEEKEND IN BARCELONA
Fifth place in the wake of Russell obtained by Leclerc came at the end of a race in which Ferrari tried a different strategy for the Monegasque, leaving him on the track in the first stint 7-8 laps more than his direct rivals. The Monegasque, who was overtaken in the Drivers’ standings in second place by Lando Norris, believes that strategy was not a problem today:
“The lap we missed to pass Russell we lost with that fight, after that we made a nice race. But with ifs and buts, we could do many other things. In the end, when you are behind the group, you have to try to do something different.
“The pace was good, and I managed the tyre well in the first stint. Then, after the race, it’s always easy to say that we could have done better. The problem of the weekend is that we lacked the pace, and we need to see why.”
