So Ferrari penalized Leclerc in qualifying for the Monaco GP – Corriere.it

It wasn’t supposed to happen, it happened again. Charles Leclerc mocked in front of his people, the nefarious tradition of the home race strikes at sunset, when the Rascasse corner is transformed into a dance floor. The sentence comes almost three hours after the end of qualifying in which he fought as he could, taking third place behind the two giants, Verstappen and Alonso. Memorable battle decided by Max with blows of scratches on the walls in the last sector, recovering with a magic the more than two tenths of disadvantage he had in the first section. One blow on today’s race and one on the World Championship, because Perez crashed in the first minutes and started last. I can’t believe what I’ve done said the Mexican. Charles didn’t have more, he wasn’t happy with a second row after having nurtured the dream of pole. But then this is the car, and I came close.

The chronicle of the qualifications: READ HERE the complete article

Then the second row also collapsed, due to yet another short circuit in communication. At Ferrari, managing directors, team principals, strategists have changed, but certain mistakes keep repeating themselves. Again in Charles’ homeland, and still to his detriment, yesterday’s obstruction on Norris – paid for with three relegation positions at the start, from third to sixth: and here from the third row a miracle is needed to reach the podium – which occurred in the lap returning after the last attempt, could have been avoided. I moved to the left – Leclerc explained – as soon as they told me, I know the timing wasn’t perfect but I did my best. It was up to the wall, and the track engineer, Xavi Marcos, to warn him more in advance of Lando’s arrival in the tunnel, the Englishman was taking off.

The analysis of the radio teams was decisive in the sanction: Charles was given information on the times of the other drivers and not on the traffic coming from behind, a fundamental type of information in Monte Carlo. On the FIA ​​tracking system – written in the decision – Norris’s approach was evident. One of Fred Vasseur’s first moves was to change the strategy department with the promotion of Ravin Jain and the transfer of former manager Iaki Rueda to the remote garage in Maranello.

Leclerc himself had emphasized clearer order management compared to the period of Mattia Binotto, but yesterday seemed to go back in time. In 2019, still here, when on Saturday due to an incorrect reading of the evolution of the track, Leclerc is made to wait in the garage and condemned to the abyss of the last rows. Not to mention last year: victory given to Perez (and bitter fourth place for the number 16) for having miscalculated the moment of transition from intermediate to dry tyres.

There will be work to do, even on the car, which is much less brilliant than promised. On Sainz who had Ocon put him in with the Alpine. Pale red, it was the occasion of the others. Verstappen has made it up to him for now. It will be tough to take it off.