The director of the Ferrari team, Fred Vasseur, has denied claims suggesting that the team split the strategy for its two drivers, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, during the Spanish Grand Prix. These speculations arose after recent incidents between the two drivers, including a controversy at the GP of Zandvoort and a collision at the start of the GP of Italy.
Tensions have been present in the team, with Hamilton requesting team orders to overtake Leclerc. In last week’s qualifying, Hamilton qualified in fourth position, ahead of Leclerc, who took fifth. For the start of the race in Madrid, the two drivers opted for widely different tire strategies.
Hamilton started the race on soft tires, while Leclerc chose hard tires. This disparity raised questions about whether the division of strategy aimed to avoid a confrontation between the two drivers. Vasseur addressed these concerns by arguing that multiple teams, such as McLaren and Red Bull, have also applied similar tire combinations.
After the race, Hamilton reported a problem with his brake system, leading to his premature retirement. Leclerc, on the other hand, held out hope for a pit stop under a possible safety car, believing that his strategy had been the most appropriate given the situation in the competition.
Finally, Leclerc commented that if he could repeat the race, he would adopt the same strategy again. His decision to start with hard tires turned out, according to him, to be the best option given the lack of overtaking opportunities during the competition.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
