Leclerc admits Sprint race tyre gamble was ‘right or wrong’ choice

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Charles Leclerc’s soft-tyre gamble in Saturday’s Sprint event at Zandvoort transformed a potentially risky strategy into a rewarding podium for Ferrari, with the Monegasque delighted that the team’s bold call delivered when it mattered.

Leclerc was one of only two drivers to start the 30-minute mad dash on Pirelli’s the soft rubber, taking a calculated gamble while almost the entire field opted for the medium compound.

The Scuderia charger had to bide his time behind Lando Norris during the opening stages, but the soft-shod Ferrari remained firmly in contention. Eventually, on lap 18, he found his opening and swept past the McLaren at Turn 1 to secure second behind George Russell.

Looking back at the moment he realised just how unusual Ferrari’s tyre choice was, Leclerc admitted there was little room for half-measures.

“Always when you’re the only one doing something, it’s either very right or very wrong,” he said.

“I think it was a good choice in the end so that’s good – it means we did our homework well in FP1. Surely when I was on the grid, you just hope to have made the right choice.”

The result vindicated Ferrari’s preparation, although Leclerc had initially expected the soft tyre to provide its greatest advantage at the start rather than late in the race.

“I knew Lando didn’t have much deployment on the main straight so I knew I had to maximise that, but then we still arrived at the braking point more or less at the same level,” he said of his overtake.

“It worked out, which was good. I did not expect to gain positions at the end of the race with these soft tyres – if anything, it [would’ve been] at the start."

A strong start for Ferrari

Leclerc’s second place represented another encouraging sign for Ferrari as the championship resumed after the summer break. More importantly, the SF-26 had given him confidence from the outset at Zandvoort.

“The car has been feeling good since FP1, which is a good thing to start the second half of the season like that,” he acknowledged.

The mood was considerably less buoyant on the other side of the Ferrari garage, however, as Lewis Hamilton finished sixth after once again struggling to extract the best from his car.

“It was the same through [Sprint] Qualifying, as you would expect, which was a bit frustrating,” Hamilton explained.

“But even if the car felt better, it’s so hard to overtake here, especially on the same tyre. I think we’ll definitely make some changes.

“Hopefully we can get the car to be a bit better, closer to P1, first practice, and hopefully we can fight from there.”

For Leclerc, though, the message from Saturday was clear: sometimes the biggest reward comes from having the courage to be different.

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.