Strategy errors and bad luck affecting Charles Leclerc in F1 is not something new. This was on full display once again at the 2023 US GP in Austin on Sunday. Not only did he get demoted from P1 to P6, but he also got disqualified, meaning he left COTA without any points. Now, Sky Sports’ Karun Chandhok feels that he will have an awkward encounter with Carlos Sainz when the drivers sit down for a debrief.
Leclerc started the race from the pole position. While not many expected him to convert it into a win, they surely didn’t think he would be sixth when crossing the finish line. However, Ferrari put him on a strategy that did not suit the SF-23 at all. Towards the end of the race, Leclerc was helped as many drivers, including Carlos Sainz, passed him.
In fact, Ferrari asked Leclerc to let Sainz go. The Spaniard was seemingly faster on fresher tires, but the Monegasque driver was not happy at all. He wanted to talk about it post-race, and Chandhok felt that the briefing session would be very awkward at Ferrari.
Charles Leclerc won’t be happy with Ferrari
The Tifosi slandered Ferrari yet again following the US GP. Leclerc’s strategy was disastrous, but technical infringements on the car that had nothing to do with him led to his disqualification. To make matters worse for him, Sainz managed to get into the top three following Lewis Hamilton’s disqualification.
Chandhok was sympathetic to Leclerc for finishing P6. This was before the FIA announced that the Monegasque’s results were null and void. On X, formerly Twitter, the Sky Sports’ presenter said, “Will be an awkward debrief – poor Charles went from pole to finishing 6th and 8 seconds behind his team-mate!”
Hmm… Will be an awkward debrief – poor Charles went from pole to finishing 6th and 8 seconds behind his team-mate! https://t.co/EhWDsJ6NCB
— Karun Chandhok (@karunchandhok) October 22, 2023
This was a huge blow for Leclerc in his bid to finish ahead of Sainz in the standings. The Spaniard increases his gap to Leclerc with a P3 finish compared to the latter’s zero. For Ferrari too, it was a huge boost as they look to finish ahead of Mercedes in the standings. However, this podium did not quite come the way he would have wanted it to.
Ferrari’s bittersweet podium finish in COTA
Red Bull was once again the fastest team on the grid in Austin on Sunday. This was not surprising considering we saw Verstappen’s pace on display in the Sprint earlier this weekend.
However, Ferrari wasn’t anywhere close to being the second-best either. Mercedes was arguably the best of the rest, and Hamilton looked like he could have threatened Verstappen for a win, for a huge portion of the race.
McLaren too, was faster than Ferrari, and Norris managed to have his P3 converted into P2 after Hamilton’s disqualification. For Ferrari to get the lead over Mercedes and finish P2, they have to much better in the remaining four races this season.
