Leclerc defends Ferrari strategy in Monaco: "Don't think this is a mistake"

Charles Leclerc started and finished the Monaco Grand Prix in sixth place. He defended Ferrari's decision for the late pitstop, as he felt it could've allowed him to jump other drivers, with the man from Monaco believing that Ferrari had more pace. 

Wet weather drama in Monaco

The Grand Prix was relatively uneventful until the threat of rain materialised. This created a slippy track and challenging conditions. Last year, Ferrari ended up pulling Leclerc in at the wrong moment and caused a double stack. A double stack happened again this time around. Leclerc explains Ferrari's decision. 

"We have made mistakes of strategy in the past, I don't think this is a mistake. In those conditions, you have more chance of a safety car with so many drivers on slicks with rain. We were waiting until the last moment to hopefully get a safety car from someone making a mistake. It was easy to make a mistake. That didn't happen. With the benefit of hindsight, it was the right decision to stop before," Leclerc said in a conversation on Sky Sports. 

Ferrari pace

Ferrari were expecting a good result in Monaco, but it wasn't to be. They finished behind both Mercedes cars and Esteban Ocon. Leclerc's teammate Carlos Sainz also finished behind Pierre Gasly. Leclerc believes the Ferrari car was better than what they were able to show in the race. 

"We have a difficult car in traffic. Our pace was better than shown today. I couldn't do much more, the car was difficult to drive in the wet. We will have a few new parts [in Barcelona], I hope it will go in the right direction. We don't expect miracles," Leclerc concluded.