Fernando Alonso snatched P5 from Charles Leclerc in the final lap of the Belgian Grand Prix as the latter was called in for a pit stop.
Ferrari had yet another miserable race weekend at the Belgian Grand Prix in the 2022 season. Once again Scuderia’s poor strategy called cost Charles Leclerc P5 in the race.
The Monegasque driver had started the race from P15, one place behind his championship rival Max Verstappen as both the drivers had taken a grid penalty for taking up new PU parts.
While Verstappen charged through the midfield and took the lead of the race and claimed victory, Leclerc was unable to keep up with the competition.
Starting from P15 the team had targeted a P5 finish for Leclerc but lost the position due to a poor strategy call.
With the last two laps remaining, Leclerc was asked to pit to get a new set of tyres in order to deliver the fastest lap. When the Ferrari driver exited from the pitlane, Fernando Alonso put up a fight with him and comfortably passed him snatching P5.
🎙| Fernando Alonso on Ferrari:
“When Charles came to box for fastest lap, I was quite surprised. Ferrari always does strange strategies.”
*laughs*
— Ferrari News 🐎 (@FanaticsFerrari) August 28, 2022
However, Alonso could not hold onto the position for long as Leclerc on fresher tyres made his move to take back his position before they passed the chequered flag.
After the race, the stewards slammed the Ferrari driver with a five-second penalty for speeding in the pit lane. This means that he again lost his P5 position to Alonso. Leclerc also failed to achieve the fastest lap.
Also Read: Lewis Hamilton takes blame for collision with 2-time World Champion on opening lap of Belgium GP
Charles Leclerc finds out about his grid penalty during post-race interviews
Furthermore, Leclerc was not fully onboard with the final pit stop strategy of the team for the fastest lap point.
Over the team radio conversation, he was heard telling his engineer that he does not want to risk his position by coming into the pit. Despite this, he was told to box.
The 2-time world champion who got promoted in the classification following this strategic mistake mocked the team for its strategies. He laughed and said, “When Charles came to box for fastest lap, I was quite surprised. Ferrari always does strange strategies.”
Moreover, Leclerc was unaware of his five-second penalty. He came to know about it during the post-race interview. The Monegasque said, “The pit lane is not bad luck, it’s just my fault. It’s a mistake and that’s it.”
Also Read: Charles Leclerc gets to know about 5-second time penalty during interview post-race
