Nico Rosberg has branded Ferrari’s Canadian Grand Prix weekend as “clumsy,” questioning some of the team’s strategy choices.
As a result of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton crossing the line in fifth and sixth, respectively, the Maranello outfit has been overtaken by Mercedes in the constructors’ standings. Ferrari is now third, 191 points behind championship leader McLaren.
While discussing Ferrari’s performance in Montreal during the Sky Sports F1 Show podcast, the 2016 Formula 1 champion claimed that the “clumsy” weekend was in line with “the story of their year so far.”
“So a lot of strategy mistakes there because then also in the race they stopped Lewis into a bunch of traffic which lost him loads of race time,” Rosberg explained. “They also had a free opportunity to try and a one-stop with Charles. It was a free opportunity, but they didn’t try to do it.
“Behind there was just Lewis and loads of space, there was just nobody there, and they could have taken a shot at it and left him out on that first stint in the first place because he was going strong and they just pulled him in early. He was also a bit annoyed about it because he wanted to stay out longer.
“So it was a bit of a clumsy weekend from Ferrari. Then also bad luck with the groundhog. So it all came together, which is not good. It’s like the story of their year so far, isn’t it? It just keeps on going like that, it’s a tough one for them.”
Hamilton faced a loss of 20 points of downforce, which roughly costs half a second per lap, after he hit a groundhog on lap 9.
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images via Getty Images
“I was feeling pretty decent until then. I got a good start, held position, I was holding onto the group,” Hamilton told Sky Sports F1.
“I was managing the tyres well. I was feeling optimistic. I didn’t see it happen but I heard I hit a groundhog. That’s devastating because I love animals and I’m so sad about it. That’s horrible. It’s never happened to me before.
“The right side of the floor has a hole on it and all the veins are done. Given that, then we had a brake issue halfway through [the race] as well, then we stayed out too long in the first stop, came out behind traffic and it went from one thing to another, so I’m grateful I could just finish, particularly with the brake issue I had and bag those points.”
Ferrari now looks ahead to the Austrian Grand Prix, set for 27-29 June at the Red Bull Ring.
