Communication Mishaps Plague Leclerc’s Pursuit for Podium at Monaco Grand Prix

2023-06-02 10:56:00

This time, no bad luck, no unfortunate coincidence, or even pilot error. Last weekend, Charles Leclerc again failed to reach the podium at home in Monaco, finishing the race where he started, in sixth place. The day before, in qualifying, the Scuderia driver had nevertheless set the third fastest time. Which, despite the many adventures of Sunday, could have helped him to accompany Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso on the box.

The Monegasque was penalized the most logically in the world for having hampered Lando Norris (McLaren) in the tunnel at the very end of qualifying, while the track marshals did indeed wave the blue flags. The 25-year-old pilot still had two extenuating circumstances: his visibility was reduced – the on-board camera shows that he glanced several times in his mirrors – and the communication from his low wall was to say the least … imperfect.

Spanish Grand Prix

Alonso ‘not obsessed’ with home win, but still a bit

19 MINUTES AGO

Xavi, don’t talk to me on the bends!

The reigning vice-world champion was only informed of the presence of the Briton when he found himself in his exhausts. Just before that, Xavier Marcos Padros, his race engineer, preferred to inform him of the imminent arrival of Max Verstappen. This gross communication error was also retained by the FIA ​​when it established its penalty. And she did not fail to boil a number of tifosi, seriously irritated by the internal dysfunctions in the stable.

“Alonso, it’s not Red Bull that he stings, it’s his team that he galvanizes”

Taunted for several seasons, “Xavi” crystallizes criticism today, since he is one of the rare survivors, among the most exposed positions, of the Mattia Binotto era. Between the engineer and the Monegasque driver, communication was never really fluid despite the attempts of both to improve the flow of information. This often gives rise to scathing exchanges. As in the 45th lap of the princely race, during which the darling of the Scuderia kindly sent the Spanish technician back to his dear studies: “Xavi, don’t talk to me on the bends!“

These remarks have become common and even demonstrative of the structural difficulties of the Scuderia. In Saudi Arabia, Leclerc had been warned far too late that he had to close a gap under safety car conditions in order to prevent Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) from getting a free pit pass. “Xavi, you have to tell me that first!“, the pilot had then complained. “Understood“, had timidly replied his interlocutor.

Different at Hamilton and Verstappen

Not always precise in the messages he distills, Xavier Marcos Padros also pays for a hesitant tone and a lack of authority vis-à-vis his pilot. Peter Bonnington, Lewis Hamilton’s race engineer, and Gianpiero Lambiase, Max Verstappen’s, showed a certain grip when needed. In Miami, for example, the Italian did not hesitate to remind the double world champion that he should concentrate on his driving, and not on the work of the wall. With frankness and rigor. “Gianpiero is simply not afraid to speak his mind“, had then slipped Christian Horner.

An almost perfect Grand Prix for Ocon which relaxes the atmosphere at Alpine

Not irreproachable, “Xavi” also suffers from all the malfunctions accumulated by Ferrari, which have not (yet) all been corrected by Frédéric Vasseur. After talking with his compatriot, Marc Gene, team ambassador, mentioned a GPS problem to justify the error that led to the penalty in qualifying. In the race, it was rather the weather radar that did not seem to work correctly…

So many residues of an era not yet frankly over. “Yes, there have been a few situations in the past that I would describe as delicate but which were due to communicationdefended Leclerc about his relationship with his race engineer, in The team. Fred has changed this way of working. Last year, when Xavi spoke to me, there could be forty people talking to him on the headset. We can understand his distress in these conditions..” We also understand why the Scuderia is not yet where it would like to be.

When Russell asks to overtake Hamilton to play for the podium

Spanish Grand Prix

Hamilton “very motivated to be there for the next five years”, and with Mercedes

AN HOUR AGO

Formula 1

Blow for Red Bull, the brain drain continues: Marshall joins McLaren

YESTERDAY AT 07:36

1685705345
#Formula #Charles #Leclerc #engineer #Xavier #Marcos #Padros #frying #line