Key Points

“It was a bit of a clumsy weekend from Ferrari,” Rosberg said. “They had a strong pace at times—Charles [Leclerc] was quick in qualifying and kept up with the McLarens during the race—but the tyre strategy was wrong, and they didn’t capitalise on the opportunities they had.”

Rosberg pointed to Ferrari’s decision not to try a one-stop strategy with Leclerc, despite a clear window to experiment. Instead, they pitted him early, dropping him into traffic and undermining his race. The team also brought in Lewis Hamilton at a sub-optimal time, losing valuable track position.

Leclerc’s weekend started on the back foot after crashing in FP1 and missing FP2, and while he showed impressive pace in qualifying, an error on his final Q3 lap halted any chance of a top-three start. Hamilton’s race was further compromised when his car hit a groundhog on Lap 13, causing damage that affected his performance.

Ferrari finished fifth and sixth, while Mercedes secured a dominant one-three result, overtaking the Italian team in the standings. It continued a pattern for Ferrari—fast in flashes, but unable to execute cleanly over a full weekend.

Team principal Frederic Vasseur, under scrutiny amid growing media pressure, acknowledged the team’s failings: “We made too many mistakes collectively…from the crash in FP1, the error in qualifying, and even the groundhog in the race. The fight is so close right now, even a small mistake costs big.”

On the decision not to risk a one-stop with Leclerc, Vasseur admitted Ferrari missed a low-risk opportunity: “Charles was right—we didn’t have much to lose. But we lacked enough data to be confident the hard tyre would last 50 laps.”

Vasseur praised Mercedes’ turnaround in Montreal, using it as a reference point: “They were nowhere for three races and suddenly put two cars on the podium. It’s about preparation and execution from Friday morning, and they nailed it. We didn’t.”

- IANS