Russia – Francophone report: Leclerc only 3rd and Grosjean in the wall!
It was a very complicated race for our French-speaking drivers. Charles Leclerc couldn't assert himself, Romain Grosjean spun out, and Pierre Gasly struggled with a very mediocre Toro Rosso.
Charles Leclerc: 3rd (1st on the grid)
On Saturday, Charles Leclerc secured the 6th pole position of his career, but more importantly, his fourth consecutive one. Unfortunately for the Monegasque, he lost the lead of the race right from the start to his teammate. This was an unforeseen situation for Ferrari, which tried as best as it could to issue team orders that were not accepted by the German four-time world champion, creating significant tension within the Reds.
By the end of the 20th lap, Leclerc was more than 4 seconds behind Sebastian Vettel. Choosing to favor the Scuderia’s young Prince in their strategy, the Italian team had him pit on the 23rd lap. This allowed him to overtake his teammate and regain the lead of the race.
Triggered by Vettel’s retirement, the Safety Car will deal a severe blow to the victory chances of the second Ferrari driver. Stopping to switch to soft tires, the Maranello team made a poor choice by fitting Leclerc with soft tires. Coming out behind the two Mercedes, he will be unable to overtake them and eventually finish 3rd.
« I just had to try to help Sebastian and stay in front of him to give him the slipstream so he could pass, and then we should have swapped positions. But I don’t know why we didn’t do it. It’s a shame that both cars are not on the podium. Sebastian’s retirement is especially unfortunate for the team. Unfortunately, after the Safety Car, I don’t know if we should have stayed on track or stopped, but with the mediums, it would have been complicated anyway. Today we weren’t very lucky. »
Pierre Gasly: 14th (16th on the grid)
Like all Honda drivers, the Norman started the race with a five-place penalty. Preferring to choose his tires for the start rather than reaching the Top 10 in qualifying, Pierre Gasly managed to qualify 11th, thereby ensuring him a better spot on the grid and an advantageous strategy.
The Frenchman made a flying start by gaining 4 places right from the beginning. He experienced some great battles with his two main rivals this season, Kvyat and Albon. Gasly showed Dr. Marko that he knows how to fight. Even if the points were not there, the Toro Rosso surely didn’t allow it today.
It was quite complicated today. We had a lot of issues with overheating, the brakes, the engine, which made the race a bit complicated. We didn’t have the speed to fight for points, so we’ll have to work and come back with more speed at Suzuka. I tried to do what I could at the wheel, but we didn’t have enough speed to secure a Top 10 starting from 16th.
Romain Grosjean: Retirement (8th on the grid)
The renewal of his contract has given a boost to Romain Grosjean, who, at the wheel of his Haas, managed to make it out of Q2. Qualified 9th, Max Verstappen’s five-place penalty allowed him to gain a position on the starting grid.
The celebrations were short-lived for the Frenchman. He collided with Antonio Giovinazzi and Daniel Ricciardo as early as the third corner. This dashed all his chances of scoring points.
« I don’t have much to say, the images speak for themselves. I understand allowing more leeway in the first lap but I find that in this case, the first laps are very aggressive. » concluded the Haas driver at the end of another rollercoaster weekend.
