Ferrari boss sets record straight on debated Q3 tow call involving Hamilton

10:44, 07 Sep

Updated: 10:45, 07 Sep

byTobia Elia

Ferrari Team Principal Frederic Vasseur explained why the team chose not to sacrifice Lewis Hamilton by giving a tow to Charles Leclerc on the final Q3 lap at Monza.

Ferrari’s decision not to use Hamilton—given his grid penalty—to give Charles Leclerc a tow and gain precious hundredths in the fight for pole at Monza is sparking debate.

The Monegasque missed out on pole by 215 thousandths, finishing qualifying in fourth, while Hamilton had to settle for fifth, which will drop to tenth on the grid today after serving his five-place penalty.

Ferrari has shown it can be competitive at its home weekend, but not enough to fight for pole against McLaren, compounded by Max Verstappen’s masterful lap that secured him the top spot on the grid today.

Frederic Vasseur

Vasseur explains on Q3 tow decision

When asked why Ferrari opted for two single laps instead of asking Hamilton to provide a tow, Vasseur told F1TV: "With this story of maximum lap time, if you do it, you have to sacrifice one car.''

According to the Frenchman, maintaining calm and harmony within the team and the driver pairing comes first, noting that the strategy might not have worked anyway.

"It’s important for the team and for the drivers to be in a positive mood. It could work, but it also could not work at all."

He finally added: "Even for Charles, you are much more focused on the tow, the gap to the car in front of you, than you are on the tire preparation. The tire preparation is so important today that we decided to be forced on our own race."

'It's not something I ever did'

Speaking to GPblog at the end of qualifying, the seven-time world champion said: ''It's not something I ever did in any of my other teams.''

''Ultimately, potentially, you end up sacrificing one of the drivers. And I've already got a five place penalty, so points wise I needed to be as high as I could.''