Laurent Mekies, Ferrari's race director found qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix complex but did the team make the right choices in terms of tires and strategy. He also congratulated Mick Schumacher, who is part of Ferrari's junior team, on his best qualifying to date.

The Frenchman says: "It was a complex qualifying, because the track conditions were evolving all the time and, as from Q2, we were down to one car which meant we had less information to work from."

The Ferrari chief says Sainz drove very well and as a team they made the right choices in terms of strategy and tires. "It was a shame he missed out on second place by a tenth, but track conditions were really tricky and it was difficult to put together a perfect lap" he admits.

Complicated day

Charles Leclerc had a less complicated but perhaps more frustrating day after the team called it a day after Q1 as he will start at the back of the grid tomorrow. "We decided to introduce new elements on his car, thus incurring penalties." The team felt this was the best way to respond to what happened in Baku.

Overtaking less difficult

Mekies believes that overtaking in Montreal is less difficult compared to other circuits. "Even if we saw on Friday that it’s not that straightforward. There are often incidents in this race such as Safety Cars or stoppages which could provide opportunities to move up the order. Charles is fired up to make up a record number of places."

Finally, Mekies would like to congratulate Mick Schumacher, who is part of the Ferrari Driver Academy, for his excellent qualifying. "The best of his Formula 1 career to date."