Charles Leclerc was left to count the cost of another questionable strategy call by his Ferrari team after missing the opportunity to set a lap time on slick tyres in the final phase of qualifying.
Conditions were dry as Q3 began at Interlagos but the teams’ weather radars were showing rain was imminent. Earlier in the session Ferrari had told Leclerc rain was going to arrive during Q1, but it didn’t materialise. Nonetheless as the start of Q3 approached they again believed the threat of rain was high.
Unsure exactly when it would hit, Ferrari decided to hedge their bets. “We split the strategies because we knew rain was imminent,” the team’s sporting director Laurent Mekies explained afterwards.
Leclerc was sent out on a set of intermediates, anticipating rain, while Carlos Sainz Jnr headed to the pit exit on soft, slick rubber. But every other team decided to send their cars out on slicks.
Ferrari had managed to get their cars close to the front of the queue, which proved important, as the rain was near. But Leclerc became concerned when he realised no other car was on the same tyres as his.
Leclerc’s radio messages from Q3
“I accepted the decision to go on intermediates,” said Leclerc after qualifying, “and then I just waited for the rain that never came.” As he sat waiting for the final stage of qualifying to begin he had one eye on the skies and the other on his mirrors, noting his rivals’ different tyre choices.
| Marcos Padros | 10 seconds for the green. Sainz is on soft, Verstappen and both Mercedes on soft. |
| Marcos Padros | One minute. One minute. |
| Leclerc | Where is the rain? |
| Marcos Padros | Coming towards turn one, main straight. |
| Leclerc | A lot? |
| Marcos Padros | In one minute, we expect more rain. And SOC reminder, 30 seconds for the green. |
| Leclerc | Am I the only car on inters? |
| Marcos Padros | Yes, we believe you are the only one on inters. |
As he joined the track Leclerc was told to let Sainz, on slicks, pass him, which he did approaching Descida do Lago, turn four. As he continued around the lap he asked his team for updates on the conditions and whether he should pit at the end of the lap to switch to slicks.
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| Marcos Padros | And green light. |
| Marcos Padros | And let Sainz by. |
| Leclerc | Ferradura, turn six What do we do? Do you want me to push for the lap if the rain is not coming? |
| Marcos Padros | We’ll come back to you. |
| Marcos Padros | Pinheirinho, turn nine I will come back to you. |
| Leclerc | There is absolutely no rain for now. |
| Marcos Padros | Raining at turn 12, we believe. |
| Leclerc | Yes but not enough. Let me know. |
| Marcos Padros | Push, I will let you know. |
Compounding their original error, when Ferrari called Leclerc in to change tyres, he had already passed the pit lane entrance.
As he reaches the end of the lap, Ferrari again tell him to pit, this time early enough for him to make it in.
| Leclerc | Turn 13 [Unclear] |
| Marcos Padros | Box now, box now! Box, box, box! |
| Leclerc | Leclerc has already passed the pit lane entrance Nice. Nice one. Let me push now. |
| Leclerc | Mergulho, turn 11 What do I do? |
| Marcos Padros | Box now, box. Box now, box. Watch for traffic. |
| Marcos Padros | So box now box, pit confirm. |
| Marcos Padros | And we need multifunction tyre position two. Multifunction tyre position two. |
Leclerc returned to the track on a set of soft tyres, but by now the rain was intensifying. He told his team he intended to push, but as he reached Descida do Lago again yellow flags were displayed as George Russell had spun off.
Leclerc ran wide at the exit of the corner and told the team the conditions were too bad. The session was then red-flagged so Russell’s car could be retrieved.
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| Leclerc | Tell me about the rain. Is it going to calm down? |
| Marcos Padros | Rain will be increasing intensity. |
| Leclerc | For fuck’s sake. [Unclear] |
| Marcos Padros | Copy. |
| Leclerc | I’m going to take risks. |
| Marcos Padros | So pushing behind. We have Norris. So Norris slow. Single yellow turn four. Single yellow turn four. |
| Leclerc | I think it’s raining too much. |
| Automated message | Red flag, stay positive. |
| Marcos Padros | Red flag. |
| Leclerc | Did everybody complete a lap on slicks? |
| Marcos Padros | Yes, they did. |
| Leclerc | Fucking beautiful. |
| Marcos Padros | And box now box. |
| Leclerc | Yeah don’t worry, red flag. |
Afterwards Leclerc said he was “extremely disappointed” with how the session had gone as “the pace was there.”
He will start tomorrow’s sprint race from 10th on the grid. “We still have the car but now we need to to get on it and obviously do everything good for the rest of the weekend,” he added.
Mekies acknowledged it was “clearly frustrating for Charles and for all of us because, this season, we have had some great qualifying sessions in equally difficult conditions.”
“We weren’t the only team to have had mixed fortunes in qualifying, with one car towards the front and another further back,” he added.
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