Charles Leclerc says Ferrari made life “way too difficult” for itself during qualifying in Montreal.
Leclerc was eliminated after Q2 on Saturday and is set to start the Canadian Grand Prix from 11th on the grid.
The wet conditions during qualifying eased up slightly as Q2 got underway, with Williams’ Alexander Albon being the first to switch from the Intermediates to the Softs.
His gamble paid off as the rain intensified soon after, but not before several drivers set improvements on dry-weather tyres.
Leclerc requested over the team radio to pit for Softs, however Ferrari asserted that it wanted to set a banker on the Intermediates before pitting.
Having left the swap too late, Leclerc was unable to improve and dropped out of the session.
“I called for slicks on the out lap, it was clearly [time] for slicks,” Leclerc said.
“The car was dry, I think Alex did that and went earlier than everybody on the slicks. That was clearly the right choice, there were no risks taken or whatsoever.
“But for some reason, the team decided otherwise. I think we are just making our life way too difficult in those situations. I had a clear opinion.
“We decided to do something else. I am frustrated. Having said that, other drivers did the same strategy as us and went through to Q3.
“You are just relying on small details instead of an easy Q2 going through when the track is dry, you need slick tyres. I don’t know what happened.”
Leclerc has been criticised on multiple occasions over the last several years for its strategy calls.
As he faces a recovery drive on Sunday, Leclerc says that he will seek answers from his team over how to avoid such a situation occurring again in the future.
“I think there was no clearer way of me expressing myself this time,” he said.
“I will speak internally with the team and try to understand what we can do. It’s obviously not the first time in those situations that we are on the wrong side.
“I have no idea what lap times Alex is doing in terms of the slicks, maybe he is five seconds off, I don’t know. I had a clear opinion, obviously Alex was fast.
“I have to understand what was the target in doing that, what was the aim. The track was dry.”
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