Charles Leclerc has stressed that he still has trust in Ferrari team-mate Sebastian Vettel, amid their strategy saga that played out at Formula 1’s Russian Grand Prix.
Leclerc led away from pole position but was overhauled on the opening lap by Vettel, who started from third place and utilised the slipstream to grab the lead.
It later transpired that this was part of a pre-race agreement outlined by Ferrari, and that Vettel was to relinquish track position to Leclerc shortly afterwards.
But Vettel extended his advantage up front and, with Lewis Hamilton remaining a threat in third place, Ferrari opted not to swap its drivers through the first stint.
By bringing Leclerc in four laps before Vettel, Ferrari was able to get the youngster ahead, though the team later denied that its pit stop strategy was undertaken for such an outcome.
“I think the trust doesn’t change and we need to trust each other, Seb and myself,” said Leclerc.
“I think it’s hugely important for the benefit of the team in some situations to know that you can count on the other car and vice-versa. In both ways.
“I think it’s very important but yes the trust is still here.
“I actually had no reason to fight [in the first stint] because, as I said, I trusted completely in the fact that we would swap back after, so there was no need to take any risks at that time. That’s why I just didn’t fight.”
Vettel added that his eventual hybrid-related retirement meant that the order in which the drivers emerged from the pit stop phase was ultimately irrelevant.
“I don’t know what happened and I wasn’t really aware when Charles is going to pit as obviously you do your own race,” he said.
“I was aware of the fact that I was quite a bit down the road, and the last laps before the pit stop I was struggling more and more with the tyres, so it would be time to pit, but yeah when I got out I found myself and then had a problem.
“The bigger downside is we had to retire, it didn’t come to that stage [of trying to pass] so it’s a bit pointless…”
