Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur has addressed the team’s thinking behind the pitstop that exposed Charles Leclerc to the crash that ended his Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix.
Leclerc’s race at Zandvoort was brought to a dramatic and premature stop on Lap 53 when Kimi Antonelli’s overambitious lunge at Turn 3 saw him collect the Ferrari.
The incident crowned a sequence that materialised when Ferrari opted to respond to Mercedes’ decision to make a second pitstop with Antonelli on the previous lap.
Ferrari’s slick pit work was enough to ensure Leclerc retained position, but the extra temperature in Antonelli’s tyres gave him the impetus to line up an on-track move.
But rather than voicing bitterness at Antonelli’s miscalculated attempt at a pass, Leclerc’s initial complaint over the team radio centred on Ferrari’s decision to pit him.
“I think that was unnecessary. I mean, we can never know what happened, but the tyres felt good,” he told race engineer Bryan Bozzi prior to exiting his stricken SF-25.
Vasseur elucidated that Ferrari’s choice was as much about covering Antonelli’s undercut as it was about mounting a challenge to Isack Hadjar over an eventual third.
When asked whether he agreed with Leclerc’s comment, Vasseur answered to media including Motorsport Week: “Yes and no.
“It’s always easy to have a different view on the strategy after the race.
“Honestly, that was the only way we had to fight with Hadjar at this stage, to have a different option, or at least to try to undercut.
“I think it was the right call at this stage that now, for sure, when you see the outlap, you can have a different perception of this.”
Ferrari had ‘very, very strong pace’ prior to double DNF
With Lewis Hamilton having crashed out at the same corner earlier on in proceedings, Leclerc’s retirement condemned Ferrari to a bruising double DNF and no points.
Having overcome the “worst Friday” since he took over in 2023, Vasseur believes Ferrari possessed the pace to rival Red Bull’s status as the second force to McLaren.
“I don’t have the crystal ball. I have the feeling that even if we were not on the same strategy as Max [Verstappen], that we were matching Max more or less, and Hadjar was there,” the Frenchman evaluated. “Clearly the pace was very, very strong and very consistent.
“The only reference I would say is more Mercedes, because we are alone with Mercedes, we are able to overtake Mercedes.
“I think it’s more on this one that we can make a comparison, how to know if we are able to do one or two or three tenths more, I don’t know.”
READ MORE – Ferrari reveals Kimi Antonelli apology after Charles Leclerc clash in F1 Dutch GP
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