Charles Leclerc and Pierre Gasly had bad luck on Sunday at Silverstone. Above all, the two pilots were not helped by their own team…
Internal explanations, and quickly, that’s what Charles Leclerc and Pierre Gasly are asking for after a British Grand Prix which did not really meet their respective expectations. A time leader in the race, the Monegasque in particular had to settle for fourth place in the final, eclipsed by his teammate Carlos Sainz, winner of his very first GP in F1. ” I am disappointed, once again… very disappointed. We’re gonna have to look at the big picture “Blowed the interested party hotly on Sunday behind the scenes at Silverstone.
Between the reliability problems of his Ferrari and the not always happy team strategies, the interested party has a chain of disappointments after a great start to the season. So much so that Max Verstappen seems to be advancing unrivaled now. And this despite the seventh position of the Batavian this weekend in England. ” We could go back to the pits and change the tires but they asked me to stay on the track… That’s what I did “, laments Leclerc who, on the 39th lap, when he was the leader, was weighed down by the launch of the Safety Car and betrayed by tires that were too soft to go to the end without incident.
Reassembled at the finish, the driver from Le Rocher was finally entitled to the reprimands of his boss, Mattia Binotto, who afterwards confided in Sky Italia. ” What I said to Charles? To calm down because he did a good job. Without the safety car, he would certainly have won. He was in front with a good lead. Ocon should have chosen another place to stop. There is bitterness because of its result but it is the result of external circumstances. “As for the stop that Leclerc should have made when the safety car appeared, the Scuderia boss is categorical: “ We didn’t have time. Carlos would have lost more places. So we chose to stop Carlos because Leclerc had fresher tyres… We hoped that our competitors’ soft tires would wear out faster. »
“It must be discussed internally”
In the first part of the race, the Monegasque had already had to fret in the wake of his Spanish counterpart, poleman then less swift on the track, and this without any team instructions. ” I feel like I lost a bit too much time in the first stint “, plague Charles Leclerc, not enough supported for his taste by his team. A feeling shared by Pierre Gasly at Alpha Tauri. Disappointed by the behavior towards him of the Red Bull structure, which seems to condemn him to remain at the gates of the first team, the Norman from the rest was not helped Sunday by his teammate Yuki Tsunoda.
After a start made chaotic by the spectacular accident of Guanyu Zhou, the two partners found themselves in the points up to seventh place. When the Japanese attempted a somewhat cavalier maneuver towards him, synonymous with abandonment concerning him. ” I’m extremely disappointed because we were in an excellent position after the restart, both in the points on a track where we had enormous difficulties. It’s something that needs to be discussed internally, and I’m not going to start talking here, but I’m extremely disappointed to lose such an opportunity. In a difficult season like ours, we cannot miss these kinds of opportunities. »
“ We will meet to have the necessary discussions, because the maneuver performed by Yuki was not the best one and it must be avoided in the future Says Jody Egginton, the team’s technical director. ” I can understand PeterBlows for his part Tsunoda. Above all, I would say that I am sorry for the team. We will definitely have to discuss this. I was clearly faster, but it’s still my fault. […] I didn’t expect him to defend himself like that against me in a turn, but it’s my fault. I didn’t anticipate well enough. “A mea culpa which probably does not appease the frustration of a Gasly who, like Leclerc, aspires to much better this season.
