Leclerc: Ferrari made "too many mistakes" in Monaco GP defeat
Charles Leclerc says Ferrari made "too many mistakes" during the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix and it "hurts" after he endured another tough home race having dropped from the lead to finish fourth.
Leclerc's race unravelled as the Monaco track dried up after heavy rain delayed the start, with Ferrari opting to keep the polesitter out longer on wet tyres in a bid for a straight switch to dry tyres.
But after both Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz got into undercut range on the intermediates, Ferrari pitted Leclerc for the same tyres which dropped him to third.
But with the crossover for dry tyres rapidly approaching, Ferrari pitted Leclerc for a second time shortly afterwards and double stacked him behind Sainz to lose further time which resulted in Leclerc falling to fourth place behind F1 world title rival Max Verstappen.
Despite a second red flag for Mick Schumacher's crash and a run in dry conditions to the end of the race, Leclerc was stuck in fourth place without the opportunity to strike back and missed out on a maiden home race podium – but did at least finish the first home race of his career.
Reacting to another Monaco GP disappointment, Leclerc felt Ferrari made strategy mistakes with both his pitstops and called on the team to improve as he dropped nine points behind Verstappen at the top of the F1 drivers' standings.
"Sometimes mistakes can happen but there has been too many mistakes today overall," Leclerc told Sky Sports. "Obviously in those conditions we rely a little bit on what the team can see because you don't see what the others are doing with intermediates, with dry tyres.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari F1-75, Carlos Sainz, Ferrari F1-75, Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB18
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
"I've been asked questions if I wanted to go from the extreme wets to the slicks and I said, 'yes but not now, a bit later on in the race', but I don't understand what made us change our minds and go on the intermediates.
"We got undercut then I stopped behind Carlos. There have been a lot of mistakes and we cannot afford to do that."
Leclerc also felt these mistakes are even more critical compared to previous years, as Ferrari is fighting for the F1 world title against Red Bull.
"It is hard as it has been in the other years here, so I am getting use to it and getting back home feeling disappointed but we cannot do that, especially in a moment that we are in now," he said.
"We are extremely strong now, the pace is strong, we need to take these opportunities, we cannot lose so many points like this, it is not even from first to second, it is from first to fourth, because after the first mistake we did another one.
"I love my team and I am sure we'll come back stronger, it hurts a lot."
Ferrari protests both Red Bulls in Monaco GP result for crossing pit exit
Alonso: ‘Not my problem’ slow Monaco F1 driving frustrated Hamilton
2023 F1 Monaco GP – How to watch, session timings and more
2023 F1 Monaco GP – How to watch, session timings and more 2023 F1 Monaco GP – How to watch, session timings and more
2023 F1 Emilia Romagna GP – How to watch, session timings and more
2023 F1 Emilia Romagna GP – How to watch, session timings and more 2023 F1 Emilia Romagna GP – How to watch, session timings and more
How an outsider demolished a rank of F1 juniors
How an outsider demolished a rank of F1 juniors How an outsider demolished a rank of F1 juniors
Leclerc handed F1 Monaco GP grid penalty for impeding Norris
Leclerc handed F1 Monaco GP grid penalty for impeding Norris Leclerc handed F1 Monaco GP grid penalty for impeding Norris
Leclerc: Vasseur now only getting started after initially evaluating team
Leclerc: Vasseur now only getting started after initially evaluating team Leclerc: Vasseur now only getting started after initially evaluating team
Why drivers are the least of Ferrari’s F1 worries
Why drivers are the least of Ferrari’s F1 worries Why drivers are the least of Ferrari’s F1 worries
Rowland replaced by Mehri at Mahindra for Formula E Jakarta
Rowland replaced by Mehri at Mahindra for Formula E Jakarta Rowland replaced by Mehri at Mahindra for Formula E Jakarta
The Monaco crane lifts that show how Red Bull and Mercedes' F1 floors compare
The Monaco crane lifts that show how Red Bull and Mercedes' F1 floors compare The Monaco crane lifts that show how Red Bull and Mercedes' F1 floors compare
F2 Monaco: Vesti wins red-flagged feature race
F2 Monaco: Vesti wins red-flagged feature race F2 Monaco: Vesti wins red-flagged feature race
F1 teams will be "all over" Red Bull floor photographs - Mercedes
F1 teams will be "all over" Red Bull floor photographs - Mercedes F1 teams will be "all over" Red Bull floor photographs - Mercedes
The factors for and against a Red Bull upset in F1’s Monaco GP
The factors for and against a Red Bull upset in F1’s Monaco GP The factors for and against a Red Bull upset in F1’s Monaco GP
What Aston Martin's Honda deal reveals about its true F1 mindset
What Aston Martin's Honda deal reveals about its true F1 mindset What Aston Martin's Honda deal reveals about its true F1 mindset
Would Hamilton really be a worthwhile F1 investment for Ferrari?
Would Hamilton really be a worthwhile F1 investment for Ferrari? Would Hamilton really be a worthwhile F1 investment for Ferrari?
Why the growing pains of F1’s cost-cap era require patience
Why the growing pains of F1’s cost-cap era require patience Why the growing pains of F1’s cost-cap era require patience
Has F1 gone too far with its sprint race format tweaks?
Has F1 gone too far with its sprint race format tweaks? Has F1 gone too far with its sprint race format tweaks?
The crucial next steps for McLaren on its path to F1 recovery
The crucial next steps for McLaren on its path to F1 recovery The crucial next steps for McLaren on its path to F1 recovery
The bigger answer Mercedes needs from its now delayed F1 upgrades
The bigger answer Mercedes needs from its now delayed F1 upgrades The bigger answer Mercedes needs from its now delayed F1 upgrades
What the lessons of 2013’s mid-year tyre change mean for F1 2023's dominant team
What the lessons of 2013’s mid-year tyre change mean for F1 2023's dominant team What the lessons of 2013’s mid-year tyre change mean for F1 2023's dominant team
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.