Former F1 world champion Nico Rosberg characterized Ferrari`s Canadian Grand Prix weekend as “clumsy,” suggesting it epitomizes their underwhelming performance this season.
Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari`s drivers, secured fifth and sixth positions in Montreal. This result saw the team drop to third in the Constructors` Championship, trailing behind Mercedes, who achieved a commendable one-three finish.
While Ferrari`s SF-25 occasionally displayed impressive pace, especially with Leclerc, the Monegasque driver`s weekend was plagued by issues. He missed Friday`s entire second practice session following a crash in the first, and then made a crucial error on his final qualifying lap despite setting the fastest first sector time.
Lewis Hamilton`s race on Sunday was also marred by an unfortunate incident: his car suffered damage after colliding with a groundhog on Lap 13.
During an appearance on The F1 Show, Rosberg, the 2016 world champion, reflected on Ferrari`s frustrating weekend, noting: “It`s important to remember that Charles Leclerc did show strong pace at various points in the race.”
Rosberg continued, “He was exceptionally fast, maintaining pace effectively with the McLarens. He also demonstrated good speed in qualifying, with some suggesting he had the potential to be among the top three contenders.”
“I believe they made a poor tire choice during qualifying, specifically by not using the medium compound in Q3.”
“There were numerous strategic missteps. For instance, in the race, they pitted Lewis into heavy traffic, costing him significant race time.”
“Furthermore, they missed a clear chance to attempt a one-stop strategy with Charles. It was an open opportunity, yet they chose not to pursue it.”
“Behind him, there was only Lewis with ample clear track; no other cars posed a threat. They could have taken the gamble and kept him out longer on his initial stint, as he was performing well, but they brought him in prematurely. Charles himself was reportedly somewhat frustrated, having wished to extend his run.”
Rosberg concluded: “Overall, it was a rather disorganised weekend for Ferrari.”
“Compounded by bad luck, like the groundhog incident, everything seemed to go wrong, which is far from ideal.”
“It truly reflects the narrative of their season so far, a persistent struggle. It`s undoubtedly a challenging period for the team.”
Video: Highlights from the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal.
Vasseur on Ferrari`s Errors and Learning from Mercedes
Following Mercedes` victory in Montreal, Ferrari now stands as the only team among F1`s top four without a Grand Prix win as the 24-race season approaches its halfway point. Charles Leclerc`s three podium finishes represent their best Sunday performances to date.
Team Principal Frederic Vasseur, whose leadership was reportedly under scrutiny from Italian media leading into the weekend, conceded that the team “simply made too many mistakes” to achieve a better result.
Video: Fred Vasseur addresses speculation about his position as Team Principal, stating he remains “super calm.”
However, Vasseur noted that Mercedes` unexpected resurgence to the front of the pack demonstrated what is achievable in Formula 1.
He stated, “We had moments where our pace was competitive.”
“I believe we collectively made too many errors from the outset, starting with the crash in FP1, the qualifying mistake, and even the groundhog incident in the race. Ultimately, the competition is so fierce that even minor issues can drastically alter your position from one weekend to the next.”
“Mercedes offers a valuable lesson. They struggled significantly over the past three weekends, yet managed to secure two cars on the podium this weekend.”
“I doubt they completely transformed their car; it`s more about their immediate presence from the very first lap on Friday morning. They executed their preparation effectively. For various reasons, our focus wasn`t consistently sharp this weekend.”
Emphasizing that “the main issue is effective tire management” for a strong weekend performance, Vasseur concluded: “If we aim for victories, if we want to start from the front rows and have a flawless weekend, like in Monaco, we need impeccable execution. That`s precisely where we failed significantly in Canada.”
Video: Lewis Hamilton`s reaction to hitting a groundhog during the Canadian Grand Prix.
Addressing the decision not to attempt a one-stop strategy with Leclerc, Vasseur stated: “I spoke with Charles after the race. He`s correct that when you`re trailing the pack, there`s less to lose by taking risks. However, for us, attempting a 50-lap stint on hard tires seemed overly optimistic, primarily concerning tire life before performance.”
“We likely also lacked sufficient running laps during the weekend to accurately assess such a strategy.”
The next event on the Formula 1 calendar is the Austrian Grand Prix, returning to Europe.
