Ferrari has admitted it “underestimated” the loss of time in the pit lane during the stop that caused Charles Leclerc to fall behind other cars at the Brazilian Grand Prix in Sao Paulo.
Leclerc conceded that Ferrari's decision to change intermediate tires seven laps before the red flag contributed to him missing out on a possible podium in Brazil.
The Monegasque was the first driver to detour to the pits on lap 25, causing him to lose positions to eventual race winner Max Verstappen and Pierre Gasly in the Alpine.
Both drivers, along with Gasly's Alpine teammate Esteban Ocon, took advantage of Franco Colapinto's Williams accident on lap 32 to change tires during the race stoppage.
But even before that, Leclerc's progress had been hampered by Oliver Bearman and Lewis Hamilton just ahead.
However, Ferrari boss Frédéric Vasseur agreed with his McLaren counterpart Andrea Stella that stopping at this stage was a wise choice given the deteriorating conditions.
“It was a tough Sunday, but I think overall it wasn't a dramatic weekend. It was more some choices that were quite difficult to anticipate, like the pit stop .”
“Unfortunately you can say at the end of the day that if you stay on the track and wait for the red flag it's the right decision, but if you crash you look stupid.”
“Honestly, this kind of weekend is quite difficult to manage from the pit wall and the car.
“But it's more the pace and the settings that are perhaps a cause of concern. We were seven tenths slower than [Lando] Norris at the start of the last stint and probably six or seven tenths faster than him at the end.”
Vasseur said Ferrari failed to take into account that the twisty pit exit at Interlagos was slower to negotiate on a wet track, costing Leclerc more time.
But the Frenchman is adamant that the only change that could have allowed Leclerc to achieve a better result than his final fifth place was to stay on track until the red flag.
“I think we underestimated the loss coming out of the pits. It was very, very slippery and he lost a few tenths and that was enough to make him lose positions to Lewis and Oliver.
“But I don’t think it made a difference because in the end we would have pitted the next lap with the VSC.”
“It didn't change the situation, the best strategy would have been to stay on the track and wait for the red flag but that still remains hypothetical. If Colapinto doesn't crash, there is no red.”
