Charles Leclerc was angered by the strange Ferrari strategy that saw Sebastian Vettel secure his last F1 career win.
Charles Leclerc was left frustrated back in the 2019 Singapore Grand Prix after Ferrari’s strange strategy saw his teammate Sebastian Vettel take the race win.
The 2019 Singapore Grand Prix is remembered as Vettel’s last win to date. It may likely be Vettel’s last-ever race win in Formula 1 unless Aston Martin pulls off a surprise victory for the rest of the 2022 season.
Leclerc had come off two wins in Spa and Monza leading up to the 2019 Singapore Grand Prix. The Monegasque also took pole position after a brilliant lap in Q3. Leclerc started from the pole ahead of his teammate Sebastian Vettel and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton.
The race was a different story for Leclerc. He led from pole till lap 20. Ferrari chose to pit Vettel first. A brilliant out-lap by the German saw Leclerc get undercut for the lead. Vettel then led for the rest of the race and took the win. Leclerc finished behind in P2.
Leclerc made his thoughts on the strategy clear over the radio. He told the team: “I don’t understand the undercut at all. But we discuss it later”. Ferrari responded to Leclerc’s outburst by telling him it was the best strategy to get the best result for the team.
Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel had a tense relationship after Singapore 2019
Leclerc, despite being upset over the radio regarding strategy, kept it civil when speaking to the media. He said: “The strategy was fixed at the beginning (and) I stuck to the plan, the most important (thing) was that we finished one-two.”
Singapore 2019 might have caused tension between the teammates for the rest of the season. Vettel and Leclerc had tension over the radio in the next race in Sochi. The pair also clashed in Brazil ending with both drivers not finishing the race.
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