F1 – French GP: Rosberg supports Leclerc and lights up Ferrari

formula 1

Posted on July 26 at 11:35 am by Hugo Chirossel

As he started from pole position on Sunday during the French Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc was forced to retire on the 18th lap, the fault of leaving the track. The Monegasque driver has directly assumed his error, a choice that is not to the liking of Nico Rosberg, for whom the fault lies with Ferrari.

New disappointment for Ferrari. the Scuderia was full of hope at the start of the French Grand Prix last Sunday, thanks in particular to the pole position of Charles Leclerc. A place that he managed to keep for a while, despite the onslaught of Max Verstappen. But on the 18th lap, the Monegasque driver made a mistake, forcing him to retire. An opportunity that the Dutchman did not miss and which allowed him to win the race, his 27th career success in Formula 1.

F1 – French GP: The “shock” caused by Toto Wolff https://t.co/8QQVnCNAu6 pic.twitter.com/A3DC8ZFxYj

— le10sport (@le10sport) July 26, 2022

“I don’t deserve to win the championship”

Charles Leclerc for his part fully assumed his error: “I haven’t looked at the data yet but there was nothing special, it was just a mistake”, he confided to the media at the end of the Grand Prix. » It’s weird how I lose her but that’s me. We will do the accounts at the end of the season but it is certain that if we have 25-30 points left, with the error at Imola too, we know where it will come from. I can only blame myself. We’ll see at the end, but if I stay at this level I don’t deserve to win the Championship. Finally the level is very high but hey two mistakes it hurts. We still have to analyze what happened with the car because I couldn’t put the reverse gear. But these are details, do not put the car in the wall already. »

Rosberg supports Leclerc…

Words that did not please Nico Rosberg. For the old pilot Mercedes, crowned world champion in 2016, the reaction of the Monegasque was precipitous. According to him, the problem is not Leclercbut the stable Ferrari in general. » I really think it was premature for Leclerc to take responsibility for the accident. Because it’s really very unusual that it happens like that, because you’re not even pushing to the maximum, you save your tires. For the rear to start moving like that…that’s exactly when the wind is coming from the rear, and if you have an unlucky gust or something, it can suddenly take 20% of your downforce off of you aerodynamics at that time. »

And put the blame on Ferrari

Whether in terms of reliability or strategy, Rosberg Rather suspect an error of Ferrari : “ what happened with the motor, or even the pedal? hey wondered » All it takes is a little cut or something that can pop the back out. I really think they need to take the time to look into this because I still can’t believe it was pilot error. The former Mercedes driver also doesn’t understand the management of Carlos Sainz. « I shook my head seeing Ferrari’s strategy for Sainz. What the hell are they doing there? First of all, he was in the middle of a huge battle on the track and his whole team wasn’t looking at it anymore, they were doing their calculations on pit stop timing. They spoke to him as if in the middle of the action. I thought guys what are you doing? »