Charles Leclerc failed to reach Q3 for the second consecutive F1 race after a strategy error from Ferrari and the Monegasque driver not being able to go fast enough on the intermediates tyres; watch the Canadian GP with build-up at 5.30pm and lights out at 7pm on Sunday
Sunday 18 June 2023 12:19, UK
Charles Leclerc says Ferrari are "not making our life any easier" after his Q2 exit at the Canadian Grand Prix.
Leclerc will start 10th for Sunday's race in Montreal after Ferrari went against his call to use dry tyres at the start of Q2 when the track was at its driest.
Other drivers completed laps on the soft tyres to secure a place in Q3, while Leclerc's best lap came on the intermediates as he switched to the dry tyres as rain began to fall heavily again.
Leclerc had called to follow Alex Albon, who was the first driver to use slicks and topped the timesheet in Q2, but Ferrari wanted the Monegasque driver to complete a banker lap on the intermediates first.
"When the track is so dry and we are staying on intermediates, we are not making our life any easier," Leclerc told Sky Sports F1.
"We will discuss with the team but it's not the first time it's happened. We are quite often on the wrong side of making those decisions in those tricky situations.
"I had a clear opinion and we went for something opposite. Obviously it's frustrating to accept it first, then you are putting yourself in a very difficult situation.
"From that moment onwards, it slipped away from us. Having said that, it's not all of that because other drivers managed to go to Q3 in the same way I did. Again, we are just making our life way too difficult.
"I will manage it myself internally and I don't want to say what will happen but there will be a talk and analysis. Hopefully we can come back stronger from it because it's been quite a few times now."
Since taking pole position for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in April, Leclerc has not had a clean Qualifying.
In Monaco, he was given a three-grid place penalty for impeding Lando Norris in Q3. In Spain, Leclerc struggled with the balance of his car in drying conditions, so was eliminated in Q1 and his latest setback in Canada came down to strategy.
The Ferrari driver is seventh in the drivers' championship and has only had one top-five finish in 2023, a stat that may remain after Sunday.
"We had really good pace yesterday so hopefully we can have a clean dry race and come back," said Leclerc.
"But again it's a difficult Saturday and we are always coming into Sunday with a very difficult thing to do. Starting P11 it's not going to be easy to come back. I am very frustrated."
After Ferrari's 2022 title challenge faded due to a run of strategy and reliability issues in the summer, Leclerc was hoping to be in the championship hunt this season.
However, tyre wear, balance issues, mistakes from the team and errors from Leclerc himself have caused lots of frustration at Ferrari.
Sky Sports F1's Danica Patrick said: "That has been the story. It's part of their issues that they have to be organised and get in sync. They just have to be on the same page then they can get into trusting each other to make those good calls. You can definitely sense that frustration.
"Even at Mercedes, you have seen, as the struggles crop up, when it persists long enough, you see it come out. Normally, within a team you are very supportive but you do always reach a boiling point and we are seeing that spilling over here and there, rightfully so because there is a lot of pressure."
Sunday June 18
5.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday Canadian GP build-up
6:55pm: The Grandstand with Daniel Ricciardo and Will Arnett (via red button)
7pm: THE CANADIAN GRAND PRIX
9pm: Chequered Flag Canadian GP reaction
10pm: Ted's Notebook
