Ferrari present indicators of progress in Canadian GP as David Coulthard praises improved communication with Charles Leclerc
Ferrari as soon as once more left the Canadian Grand Prix on the 4.361-kilometre Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Montreal grappling with their place within the 2025 Method 1 pecking order, as they appeared to have solely the fourth-fastest automobile in Montreal. Whereas Mercedes joined McLaren and Crimson Bull within the listing of race winners this season—because of a commanding drive from George Russell—Ferrari had been left making an attempt to salvage factors amid a irritating weekend.
McLaren have emerged because the dominant power in 2025, constantly setting the tempo, however Crimson Bull and Max Verstappen have ensured a aggressive title battle by staying in shut pursuit. Amid this, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton had been restricted to fifth and sixth-place finishes respectively at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
Lewis Hamilton encountered points throughout the race, together with brake complaints over crew radio and injury to his flooring after an unlucky collision with a groundhog. In the meantime, Charles Leclerc made regular positive factors following a difficult qualifying session however was by no means actually in competition for a podium end, which might have been his fourth of the 12 months.
Regardless of the modest consequence, former F1 driver David Coulthard noticed a key growth that instructed progress throughout the Ferrari camp. He picked up on a second of in-race radio communication between Charles Leclerc and his race engineer Bryan Bozzi that, in his view, mirrored a extra assertive and coherent operational strategy—one thing the Scuderia has been criticized for missing in current seasons.
David Coulthard applauds Ferrari’s authoritative race name with Leclerc in Montreal
Whereas working as a part of Channel 4’s broadcast crew for the Canadian Grand Prix, Coulthard famous a radio trade wherein Charles Leclerc’s engineer instructed him to change to “Plan B.” Leclerc, nevertheless, countered with a choice for “Plan C,” which his engineer acknowledged with out debate. In response to the previous Method 1 driver, this easy and decisive interplay marked a notable change in Ferrari’s strategic demeanor.
David Coulthard later remarked that this kind of communication was one thing Ferrari had traditionally struggled with, typically exhibiting hesitancy or conflicting directions. In his evaluation, the readability and alignment between driver and crew in Montreal represented a constructive shift. He believed that when a crew and its driver are totally in sync, it breeds confidence and in the end results in improved efficiency on monitor.
Charles Leclerc’s technique questions spark criticism from Valsecchi and Villeneuve
However, not all observers had been satisfied by Charles Leclerc’s conduct throughout the race. The Monegasque driver, who has questioned Ferrari’s technique a number of occasions this season, later expressed doubts over the crew’s selections in Montreal as effectively. He indicated that he believed a one-stop technique might need been viable, though that will have required an extended remaining stint on the medium tyres.
The late-race security automobile introduced out by Lando Norris’ crash might have allowed the Ferrari driver to pit with minimal time loss, however by that stage, he might have already compromised his efficiency with extreme tyre put on. In a race the place tyre degradation proved a serious problem, the result of any alternate technique remained speculative at finest.
Former F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve weighed in on the radio messages, suggesting that Ferrari wanted higher cohesion between the pit wall and the cockpit. Whereas his criticism was measured, he did level to a scarcity of constant alignment as one thing the crew should handle going ahead.
Nonetheless, Davide Valsecchi was much more direct. The Italian pundit dismissed Charles Leclerc’s in-race commentary and acknowledged that the driving force ought to give attention to his efficiency quite than second-guessing technique selections mid-race. The 2012 GP2 Collection champion implied that given the Monegasque’s errors earlier within the weekend, he wasn’t in a powerful place to critique the crew’s calls and insisted that it was time for him to focus on execution quite than questioning directions.
Purchase official Ferrari F1 merchandise!
Let different Scuderia Followers find out about us
