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 automotive in Montreal. Whereas Mercedes joined McLaren and Purple Bull within the checklist of race winners this season—due to a commanding drive from George Russell—Ferrari had been left attempting to salvage factors amid a irritating weekend.
McLaren have emerged because the dominant pressure in 2025, constantly setting the tempo, however Purple Bull and Max Verstappen have ensured a aggressive title struggle 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 through the race, together with brake complaints over staff radio and injury to his ground after an unlucky collision with a groundhog. In the meantime, Charles Leclerc made regular features following a difficult qualifying session however was by no means really in competition for a podium end, which might have been his fourth of the 12 months.
Regardless of the modest outcome, 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 latest seasons.
David Coulthard applauds Ferrari’s authoritative race name with Leclerc in Montreal
Whereas working as a part of Channel 4’s broadcast staff for the Canadian Grand Prix, Coulthard famous a radio alternate during which Charles Leclerc’s engineer instructed him to modify to “Plan B.” Leclerc, nevertheless, countered with a desire for “Plan C,” which his engineer acknowledged with out debate. In line with the previous Method 1 driver, this easy and decisive interplay marked a notable change in Ferrari’s strategic demeanor.
David Coulthard later remarked that one of these communication was one thing Ferrari had traditionally struggled with, usually exhibiting hesitancy or conflicting directions. In his evaluation, the readability and alignment between driver and staff in Montreal represented a optimistic shift. He believed that when a staff and its driver are absolutely in sync, it breeds confidence and finally results in improved efficiency on observe.
Charles Leclerc’s technique questions spark criticism from Valsecchi and Villeneuve
Nonetheless, not all observers had been satisfied by Charles Leclerc’s conduct through the race. The Monegasque driver, who has questioned Ferrari’s technique a number of instances this season, later expressed doubts over the staff’s choices in Montreal as properly. He indicated that he believed a one-stop technique might need been viable, though that may have required a protracted last stint on the medium tyres.
The late-race security automotive introduced out by Lando Norris’ crash might have allowed the Ferrari driver to pit with minimal time loss, however by that stage, he could have already compromised his efficiency with extreme tyre put on. In a race the place tyre degradation proved a serious problem, the end 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 an absence of constant alignment as one thing the staff should handle going ahead.
Nevertheless, Davide Valsecchi was way 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 fairly than second-guessing technique choices mid-race. The 2012 GP2 Collection champion implied that given the Monegasque’s errors earlier within the weekend, he wasn’t in a robust place to critique the staff’s calls and insisted that it was time for him to focus on execution fairly than questioning directions.
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