The Canadian Grand Prix proved to be a challenging ordeal for Ferrari, with both Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc struggling to make an impact on the race.
Carlos Sainz described the weekend as ‘very weak, very disappointing,’ as he spent most of the race fighting for pace and failed to break into the top 10. His troubles escalated after a spin at Turn 6 led to contact with Alex Albon, putting the Williams driver out of contention. Sainz admitted he had to take risks, especially during the slick-tyre phase of the race, which contributed to his misfortune. ‘Only when we went on slicks towards the end did I start to feel there was potential for some points,’ he said. ‘I tried to take some risks to overtake in the DRS trains, but it was a strange way to lose it in mid-corner, ending our race. It was a very disappointing weekend for the whole team because we never found good pace.’
Sainz is optimistic, though, believing that Ferrari’s struggles in Canada were a ‘one-off’ issue, primarily due to difficulties in preparing the tires correctly during qualifying. ‘It was one of those races where the pace never clicked. We had some damage in the car from a couple of contacts, but there was never enough pace to make any overtakes,’ Sainz reflected. ‘Canada was a unique challenge, and we need to understand what happened as a team. There was something the others were doing in qualifying with the tires that made a difference.’
Charles Leclerc’s race was marred by a power unit issue that significantly affected his performance. Initially informed that the problem was costing him about half a second on the straights, the Monegasque faced varying deficits as the race progressed. ‘At first, I think [I was losing] six tenths, but then some laps it was 1.2, sometimes 1.5, sometimes one second,’ Leclerc explained. ‘Every time I went on power, I didn’t know what I’d get, which was very difficult to drive and frustrating because I’d get overtaken by everybody in the straight.’
Despite being hampered by technical issues, Leclerc and the team attempted to make strategic changes, like switching to fresh hard tires as the track dried. However, a late rain shower nullified their gamble. ‘In the wet conditions, we managed well and I believed we could finish in the points, but once it dried up, I was a sitting duck on the straights. The long pit stop was annoying, but we had to try something with the slicks,’ Leclerc said.
Both Ferrari drivers are keen to move past this weekend as a learning experience. Leclerc added, ‘The whole race was tough, and the power unit issue made it worse. We need to analyze everything to come back stronger.’
As the team looks ahead to the next race, the sentiment is clear: this challenging weekend in Canada should remain an isolated incident, and both drivers are focused on future improvements to get back to their competitive form.
Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc’s struggles in the Canadian Grand Prix highlight the unpredictability and challenges of Formula 1. While difficult, the weekend provides Ferrari with key insights to address in their bid to return stronger in the upcoming races.
Source: Motorsport
