Charles Leclerc faces criticism from German F1 pundit for Canadian GP qualifying strategic debacle

F1 Pundit Ralf Schumacher criticized Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc for his role in the team's strategic debacle during the qualifying session for the Canadian GP.

Talking to Sky Germany, Schumacher claimed that Leclerc needs to accept a part of the blame for what happened in qualifying when his request to immediately switch to slick tires was turned down by the team.

Charles Leclerc was told by Ferrari that he first needed to set a time on the intermediate tire before changing to the slicks. Leclerc adhered to the instructions, which ended up costing him as he was eliminated in Q2. Alex Albon, the first driver to make his way out to the track on slick tires, was able to reach Q3.

Talking about the incident, Ralf Schumacher felt that Charles Leclerc needs to be held responsible for the blunder as well. He said:

“As a driver, something like this would not have happened to me. As the driver I made the decision as to when to come in. I think it’s the responsibility of the man behind the wheel. Only I can see out there how wet or dry it is. It’s Leclerc’s fault, especially since both Ferrari drivers make too many mistakes.”

Ralf Schumacher also took exception with the agitated tone that both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz have at times while talking on the team radio. He said:

"I also don’t like the radio communication at Ferrari, since Sainz and Leclerc are yelling quite often. It gives the impression that drivers and engineers are at odds with each other. Ferrari should change that."

Fred Vasseur reacts to Charles Leclerc's post-qualifying criticism

Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur was asked about Charles Leclerc's comments after qualifying, where the young driver expressed his dissatisfaction with how the session unfolded. Talking about the same, Vasseur told Sky Sports:

"These were not accusations. He just had a different perception of the situation from the car. It’s always good to have feedback from the drivers, but we have a decision at the command post because we have the information. We had a very good pace in practice and it made sense to make that decision."

Leclerc has only secured one pole position and one podium this season and has been very unfortunate in quite a few races. He will be hoping for more smooth weekends in the coming races.