Charles Leclerc demands Ferrari reaction as 'frustration' intensifies

Charles Leclerc has demanded Ferrari react and make a step in the right direction following a frustrating Miami Grand Prix, which saw radio tensions boil over. 

Ferrari, again, failed to look competitive at the Miami International Autodrome, to the extent that both Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were beaten by Williams' Alex Albon. 

Leclerc finished in seventh and 57 seconds adrift of race winner Oscar Piastri, directly ahead of Hamilton in eighth. 

The frustration of both was evident in Miami, due to Ferrari having made yet another strategic blunder. Hamilton, on a softer compound of tyre for his second stint, caught Leclerc on the hards, yet was initially halted from passing his team-mate. 

It cost the Briton significant time, before the instruction was sent to swap positions; however, as the call took so long, Hamilton's pace immediately weakened, resulting in Leclerc moving back ahead in the closing laps. 

Both drivers complained over the radio, with the Maranello-based team's season continuing to worsen.

When asked if Ferrari's lack of pace is causing frustration to show, Leclerc told select media, including RacingNews365: "Of course, yes, there's the frustration already that I was fighting for P8 at the time, and I was not making any gains.  

"I was really struggling with the car. So there's the frustration of that, and then all the rest, and it all adds up. 

"So the radio doesn't always.. in this case, probably, but the radio is not always the real picture."

Ferrari recovery

Strategic faults have been a theme of Ferrari's season, with extra emphasis being on the right plan due to its performance difficulties. 

The situation in Miami between Leclerc and Hamilton was avoidable, as both drivers ended up paying a price.

Leclerc was not annoyed that Hamilton failed to build a gap after initially being allowed past, although the Monegasque has called for better communication.

"No, I just think we maybe should have discussed a little bit more before doing the swap, because obviously you are trying to go to the end with those tyres," said Leclerc.

"So I'm trying to do a good job with my tyres, and then everything is tricky. Then I did not expect Carlos [Sainz] to be so close. So all of this made the situation a little bit trickier.

"But again, I think there's plenty for us to look at. And as I said, we need to do a step, and we need to be robust enough that whenever we find ourselves in those situations, we do better."