I can hear Tom’s delight as Leclerc takes his third pole in a row, incredibly, at a circuit where Ferrari weren’t meant to be a factor.
I do think Lewis will take the race. No way CLC can do that kind of lap 61 times, which with the Merc race pace he’d need to.
They should have pitted Charles first. The lead car always gets precedence. They’d still have a 1-2 but in the ‘right’ order.
They didn't know what Mercedes were going to do. Hard to say what would have happened had they pitted Charles first.
But playing it fair they should have done. They undercut their winning driver with their own strategy. It’s not the worst thing I’ve ever seen, strategy wise, especially from Ferrari, but you can understand why he’s mighty pissed off. Should have been his race.
Also Charles did *exactly* what Ferrari asked of him by driving to a pace at the start to spoil any undercut that Merc or Red Bull could do. They then undercut him with his teammate...! So, y’know...he’s right to be very annoyed.
Congrats to Seb. Drove very well, particularly through the traffic, but it’s a lucky one too for him.
Actually, in fairness you are right, Tom. Long term it’s a good 1-2 for the team, but you can get why CLC would be frustrated, as a competitor.
I agree, but I find it hard to criticise the team too much here when the strategy worked. Previously they've made horrendous decisions. I sympathise with Charles, but I think on this occasion, Ferrari can justify their decision.
He’s said post race it’s frustrating when you’re in the car, because you can’t understand how it’s happened, but he understands it was the best result for the team.
Especially in light of the constructor's championship. They aren't going to catch Hamilton, but they have a (very) slim chance of pipping Mercedes if they believe that their new aero package will allow them to stack up 1-2 finishes. Of course, the primary reason they don't have more than a very slim chance is that Vettel keeps ending up pointing in the wrong direction...
