The Miami Grand Prix was arguably the best weekend of the 2024 Formula 1 season for Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc.
Although he finished runner-up to Carlos Sainz in Australia, his second-place finish in the Sprint Race followed by another trip to the podium in Sunday’s Grand Prix earned him a healthy 22 points.
However, speaking on commentary for Sky Sports F1, David Croft and Martin Brundle were left bemused by one decision Ferrari made affecting Charles Leclerc’s race.
Although Leclerc was eventually beaten by Lando Norris on his way to his first Formula 1 win, it was his teammate Oscar Piastri who was causing him problems during the first half of the Grand Prix.
The Ferrari driver was caught out by Sergio Perez’s wild start allowing Piastri to run right behind him and then overtake him during the opening laps.
However, Leclerc was right behind him for a long time but Ferrari tried something in Miami that left David Croft very confused.
In a one-stop race, choosing when to pit and what tyres to put on is a crucial decision.
Ferrari tried to be clever with their strategy but weren’t convincing anyone with their radio call.
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David Croft left unimpressed by Charles Leclerc’s pit stop radio call in Miami Grand Prix
Leclerc was told over the team radio when he was chasing Piastri: “Box, opposite McLaren. Box, opposite McLaren.”
Croft remarked: “So, if he comes in you stay out, if he stays out you come in.”
The Ferrari pit crew can be seen then getting ready in the pit lane with hard tyres, but the camera cuts to Leclerc chasing Piastri down the main straight.
Croft then added: “Charles Leclerc is definitely staying out behind Oscar Piastri.”
Martin Brundle commented: “Yeah, you’re not allowed to send your team out into the pit lane unless you’re about to do a pit stop.
“Whether they were trying to dummy the McLaren there, I don’t know.”
Croft then explained: “Well, they were a bit late coming out as I think he’d already gone past the pit entry!
“That could be the worst dummy ever thrown in Formula 1!”
Ted Kravitz in the pit lane backed up Croft’s point and added: “It certainly was Crofty because the mechanics didn’t even roll the tyres out with any kind of, we’re actually going to do this stop.”
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Charles Leclerc achieves another F1 podium behind Lando Norris
David Croft wasn’t too impressed with Leclerc’s pit crew in Miami, but the Monegasque’s performance deserves a lot of praise.
While the gap between the Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren was smaller in Miami, Leclerc still had to put in a great lap to qualify ahead of his teammate and Sergio Perez for both races.
A poor getaway in the main race saw him lose positions but might also have saved him from being taken out by Perez.
The pressure is on for Leclerc to maintain his reputation with Carlos Sainz taking a lot of the headlines at the start of the campaign.
After being retained to be Lewis Hamilton’s teammate ahead of the Spaniard, he’s on a mission to prove that Frederic Vasseur made the right decision.
The result in Miami goes to show why he’s going to have the chance to rival the seven-time world champion in the same car in 2025.
The post ‘That could be’: David Croft says Charles Leclerc’s team did something the ‘worst’ he’s ever seen in Formula 1 appeared first on F1 Oversteer.