'Strategy Was Wrong...Didn't Capitalise': Former F1 Champion Lambasts Ferrari For 'Clumsy Weekend' At Canadian GP
Rosberg criticized Ferrari's chaotic Canadian Grand Prix, calling it a "clumsy weekend" that highlighted their lacklustre season, causing them to slip to third in the standings.
Nico Rosberg didn't hold back as he evaluated Ferrari's chaotic Canadian Grand Prix, describing it as a 'clumsy weekend" that encapsulated the team's lacklustre season so far.
On The F1 Show, the 2016 World Champion analysed a series of blunders—from flawed strategy decisions to missed chances—that resulted in Ferrari slipping to third in the Constructors' standings, now trailing a revitalised Mercedes.
'It was a bit of a clumsy weekend from Ferrari," Rosberg stated. 'They had strong pace at times—Charles [LeClerc] was quick in qualifying and kept up with the McLarens during the race—but the tyre strategy was wrong, and they didn't capitalise on the opportunities they had."
Rosberg highlighted Ferrari's choice not to attempt a one-stop strategy with LeClerc, even though there was a clear opportunity to try it. Instead, they pitted him early, which put him into traffic and compromised his race. Additionally, the team made a poorly timed pit stop for Lewis Hamilton, costing him valuable track position.
LeClerc's troubles began with a crash in FP1 that caused him to miss FP2, and despite showing impressive pace in qualifying, a mistake on his final Q3 lap ended any hopes of a top-three start. Hamilton's race was further affected when his car hit a groundhog on Lap 13, causing damage that impaired his performance.
Ferrari ended the race in fifth and sixth positions, while Mercedes achieved a dominant one-three finish, overtaking the Italian team in the standings. This continued a trend for Ferrari: showing speed in moments but failing to deliver consistently over an entire weekend.
Regarding the decision not to risk a one-stop with Leclerc, Vasseur conceded that Ferrari missed a relatively low-risk opportunity: 'Charles was right—we didn't have much to lose. But we lacked enough data to be confident the hard tyre would last 50 laps."
Vasseur commended Mercedes' turnaround in Montreal, using it as a benchmark: 'They were nowhere for three races and suddenly put two cars on the podium. It's about preparation and execution from Friday morning, and they nailed it. We didn't."
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