Karun Chandhok highlights Ferrari's 'Gamesmanship' on team radio amid McLaren battle in Baku
09/16/2024 10:08 AM
Scuderia Ferrari's Charles Leclerc once again started a Grand Prix from pole position in Azerbaijan, only to unfortunately once again miss out on a victory that seemed well within reach after the first part of the race which was held at the 6.003-kilometre Baku City Circuit
This recurring theme for the Monegasque driver continued at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, where, for the fourth consecutive time, someone else stood on the top step after Charles Leclerc’s Saturday qualifying success. This time, it was McLaren’s Oscar Piastri who bested him. The Australian driver executed a brilliant overtake on Charles Leclerc and defended superbly to claim the second victory of his career.
The Monegasque driver initially led comfortably through the race's only pit-stop phase for the front-runners. However, Oscar Piastri quickly closed the gap on hard tires and passed Charles Leclerc, whose own tires later degraded, forcing him to fend off challenges from Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez. The Ferrari and Red Bull duo ultimately collided in the final laps of the Baku race, costing them valuable points and promoting George Russell to an unexpected podium finish.
The Maranello team worked hard to help Charles Leclerc regain the lead, and Karun Chandhok, commentating for Sky Sports F1, particularly enjoyed a strategic radio message from Charles Leclerc's race engineer, Bryan Bozzi.
While the relationship between Bozzi and Charles Leclerc has been questioned in the past, there seems to be growing trust between the two. In the closing stages of the race, Bryan Bozzi sent Charles Leclerc a crucial message: “Box opposite McLaren," a move that forced McLaren to remain vigilant but ultimately didn't disrupt their plans.
"It is a dummy call! So, there's a bit of gamesmanship going on because of course the teams all listen to each other's radio messages and Ferrari trying to outfox McLaren. McLaren keeping cool and not reacting so far at least, but I like this, I like the gamesmanship happening outside the cockpit as well." – the F1 commentator and former Formula 1 driver said.
After his emotional victory for Scuderia Ferrari at Monza in front of the ecstatic Tifosi, Charles Leclerc will likely feel he missed out on securing back-to-back wins for the second time in his F1 career. The Monegasque driver last achieved consecutive victories in 2019 (Belgium and Italy), and his ability to stay within DRS range of Oscar Piastri's McLaren for much of the race showed that his Ferrari SF-24 single-seater had the pace to challenge for the win. However, Charles Leclerc admitted to making a crucial mistake during his battle with Oscar Piastri that ultimately cost him a valuable race win in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Clean air is vital in Formula 1, and although Oscar Piastri couldn't fully pull away from Charles Leclerc, it allowed the Australian to manage his tires more effectively. Once Leclerc’s rear tires began to degrade, his hopes of winning faded, and he had to settle for a podium finish alongside Oscar Piastri and George Russell.
Despite the disappointment, Scuderia Ferrari's overall performance in the Azerbaijan weekend offers promise, and the team remains optimistic about closing the gap to Red Bull in the Constructors’ Championship—though McLaren might be harder to catch based on their pace and performance in the last few months.
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