Leclerc did not understand his strategy

While the Mercedes were progressing quietly at the head of the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai this Sunday, April 14, the strategists of the Team were literally having a headache. Unable to keep up with the pace of the Silver Arrows, Charles Leclerc et Sebastian Vettel were the actors of a short-sighted tactic. 

The Monegasque took advantage of his good start to overtake his German teammate when the lights went out. But he then complained on the radio that he was faster, and that he could get closer to the leader Lewis Hamilton during the first stint. 

Result, the team encouraged Charles Leclerc to let his leader pass, except that the gap with the Mercedes continued to grow over the laps. “When we changed places, we had exactly the same pace, so I damaged my tires even more,” explains the former Sauber driver.

The latter then paid the price of returning from the back of Max Verstappen (Red Bull). Forced to stay on the track longer than his opponents with the idea of ​​eating up ground during a final stint on soft tires, Charles Leclerc ended up putting on hard tires and slipped behind the Vettel-Verstappen group, without the possibility of come back to this duo.

“I stayed a little longer on the track, I don’t know for what reasons, recognizes Charles Leclerc at the microphone of Canal+. I have to ask my team. You have to look at the general picture of the race. From my cockpit, it was a little difficult to understand. But sometimes, we don't see the same thing in relation to the pit wall. »

“I had to try (this tactic) because I felt faster than Charles”, Sebastian Vettel justifies himself. We need to see if we could have done anything. I've been in this position before. » In 2014 when Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull arrived in his garden, the four-time world champion was forced to give priority to the young Australian on this same circuit.

“Obviously, when you are the penalized driver, you are less happy than the other, continues Sebastian Vettel. But Charles is fast, he does great things. I'm honestly disappointed that we both didn't finish ahead of Max (Verstappen). »

The debriefing promises to be tense for the Reds. 

Find the analysis of the Chinese GP carried out by our special correspondents in issue 2211 of AUTOhebdo, available Monday evening digitally and Wednesday on newsstands.