Charles Leclerc finished a Grand Prix behind Lewis Hamilton for the first time last weekend. The two Ferrari drivers had opposite reactions to the stoppages during the Imola race.
Leclerc furiously bemoaned his luck over the radio when Oliver Bearman’s retirement brought out a virtual safety car on lap 29. He’d found joy by undercutting his rivals with an early pit stop, but now those ahead were able to change tyres 10 seconds faster.
Ferrari had to be bold strategically after their desperate qualifying performance. Leclerc led a sixth-row lockout that stunned the Tifosi.
When Kimi Antonelli’s DNF triggered a full safety car later in the race, Leclerc was informed that he had no suitable tyres remaining. He had to stay out on worn rubber, leaving him vulnerable.
Meanwhile, Hamilton was able to make a cheap stop midway through the race after starting on hard tyres and running long. And he had another set of the white-marked rubber available for the closing stages.
Hamilton mounted a charge to finish fourth, and Leclerc fell two spots to sixth.
Charles Leclerc thought Lewis Hamilton could win at Imola
Leclerc mounted an aggressive defence against Alex Albon, with the Williams driver even taking to the gravel at the Tamburello chicane at one point. That allowed Hamilton, who had already passed George Russell, to sneak by.
The 27-year-old was far more compliant when his teammate caught him soon after. Hamilton set off after Oscar Piastri in the hope of scoring a podium, but ran out of laps in the end.
Speaking on the radio on lap 47 after the safety car was deployed, engineer Bryan Bozzi said to Leclerc: “The guys ahead stayed out, for your reference.
He then replied: “Yeah, I think we can win the race with Lewis.”
This was a clear indication that he was willing to sacrifice a place to aid Hamilton’s charge. He evidently thought the seven-time world champion would be rapid on new tyres.
While Piastri stayed out, race leader Max Verstappen and eventual runner-up Lando Norris were able to pit. The win wasn’t realistic for Ferrari in the end, but the mutual respect between the drivers is clear.
Ferrari staff anxious over Charles Leclerc comments after Emilia Romagna GP
For Fred Vasseur, the biggest positive in a largely disappointing season to date is the collaboration between his two drivers. They are both prioritising the collective interest.
Some feared there could be tension, with Hamilton taking the spotlight from Leclerc, who had been with the team since 2019. But that couldn’t be further from reality.
Even in Miami, when Hamilton pushed Ferrari to invert the cars, Leclerc showed no frustration. He knows his teammate proactively offered to let him through in China.
A report in the run-up to Imola claimed Hamilton wasn’t concerned by his deficit to Leclerc, because the spoils were so underwhelming. Likewise, driver number 16 has taken little satisfaction from his comfortable intra-team advantage.
Leclerc says Ferrari need to understand the ‘basis of the problem’ that has them fourth in the constructors’. But this has raised concerns at Maranello, where the team staff don’t yet have the answers.
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