Charles Leclerc's former colleague at Sauber shares a heartfelt message after another Ferrari strategic debacle

Charles Leclerc and Ferrari had yet another disastrous qualifying result, after failing to make it into the top 10 in consecutive races. A strategy blunder in the Q2 session ahead of Canada GP left Leclerc frustrated, as he voiced his disappointment over the radio.

Julien Simon-Chautemps, a former senior race engineer at Alfa Romeo Sauber, sympathized with Leclerc after Saturday's qualifying session. Simon-Chautemps, who previously worked the Leclerc, commented that the Monegasque's talent is being wasted at Ferrari.

The Ex-Sauber engineer aired his opinion on Twitter, saying:

"I worked alongside @Charles_Leclerc in 2018 in Sauber. I can tell it now, one of the nicest and most talented drivers I came across in my career. It’s sad to see he cannot fulfill his potential. Hope better days will come soon for him."

Charles Leclerc's start to the season has been underwhelming, compared to the stellar start in the previous season. The Ferrari driver's season has been marred with penalties for breaching component limits, multiple crashes, and grid penalties due to impeding and strategic mishaps.

In the Spanish GP, Leclerc was uncharacteristically slow in qualifying and failed to make an impression in the race, finishing outside the top 10. The Monegasque suffered a wretched start to the weekend in Montreal as well. He was one of the big names failing to break into the top 10 in the qualifying session.

Charles Leclerc's current contract with Ferrari extends until the end of 2024. While there have been plenty of rumors of Leclerc moving to Mercedes, he is expected to stay with the Maranello team.

Despite being let down by the team on multiple occasions, the 25-year-old wants to win the championship Ferrari.

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Charles Leclerc exclaims Ferrari "not making our life any easier" after a woeful qualifying session

F1 Grand Prix of Canada - Qualifying

In the changing conditions in Saturday's qualifying session, Ferrari disregarded Charles Leclerc's request to put on slicks in Q2. The team wanted Leclerc to complete a banker lap, but the decision backfired as the track was at its driest in the first few minutes.

"When the track is so dry and we are staying on intermediates, we are not making our life any easier," Leclerc said to Sky Sports F1. "We will discuss with the team but it's not the first time it's happened. We are quite often on the wrong side of making those decisions in those tricky situations."

He posted his fastest time on intermediates as the rain fell heavier when he switched to slicks. He continued:

"I had a clear opinion and we went for something opposite. Obviously it's frustrating to accept it first, then you are putting yourself in a very difficult situation."

Carlos Sainz qualified P8 but received a three-place grid penalty, allowing his teammate to gain a position on Sunday's grid. Leclerc and Sainz start 10th and 11th respectively for the Canadian GP.