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Debate | Leclerc bullied by Ferrari at Silverstone

Debate | Leclerc bullied by Ferrari at Silverstone

03-07-2022 22:10
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GPblog.com

Charles Leclerc looked set for victory, but Esteban Ocon's retirement tipped the balance at Silverstone. The Ferrari driver was not brought in, while team-mate Carlos Sainz and all the others in the top-ten did get new rubber on their cars. It cost Leclerc the win and even the podium.

With around ten laps to go, Leclerc had to compete on old hard tyres against rivals on softs, a pretty impossible task. All the more remarkable that Ferrari opted not to bring the Monegasque in. The result was a blow to Sergio Perez's lead in the world championship, while Max Verstappen was able to limit the damage.

Leclerc was very disappointed afterwards. It is not the first time this season that the 24-year-old driver has missed out on a lot of World Championship points due to a strategic blunder. The same happened in Monaco for example. Strategically Ferrari doesn't seem to have everything sorted out yet.

Ferrari statement

Mattia Binotto explained why Ferrari chose not to send Leclerc into the pit lane. The Ferrari team boss stated that the current number three in the world championship had the important track position because they also did not know what the others would do. Moreover, the distance between Sainz and Leclerc was very small, so a double pit stop might fail.

The reasons given by Binotto are valid, but it seems pretty clear that Ferrari made a big mistake here. They can't deny that, can they? Was Leclerc bullied by Ferrari in Britain this Sunday? We are curious to hear your opinion! Let us know by responding to the poll and entering the discussion in the comment section.