Strategy has 'never been a strength of' Ferrari, says former F1 champion after team's 2022 F1 Monaco GP debacle

Ferrari has come under criticism for its strategizing after failing to convert Charles Leclerc's pole into a win at the 2022 F1 Monaco GP by Nico Rosberg.

The 24-year-old was in full control of the race after a rain shower delayed the start. Ferrari, however, failed to estimate the power of the overcut, which came to haunt them when both Red Bull cars and Carlos Sainz were able to jump Leclerc after pitting for dry tires.

Despite a red flag after a massive crash by Haas F1's Mick Schumacher at the Swimming Pool chicane, the Monegasque driver was unable to recover from the setback caused by Ferrari's poor strategy call.

Speaking in a post-race debrief for Sky Sports F1, 2016 F1 world champion Nico Rosberg touched on how the Prancing Horse has never been the best at strategies. The German said:

“It’s never been a strength of theirs [strategy] in fact, it’s been quite a weakness all of these years and they’ve never really improved. The best strategically are usually Red Bull and Mercedes by far, Ferrari really needs to raise their level so far. In saying that, they really were extremely difficult decisions out there today.”

While Carlos Sainz did finish in P2 and Leclerc crossed the line for the first time in the Principality to take home P4, this result will feel like a missed opportunity for the Scuderia, considering their dominance throughout the entire race weekend.

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Charles Leclerc does not want to rely on team orders at Ferrari in 2022 F1 season

Charles Leclerc has made it clear that he does not want to be reliant on team orders at Ferrari for the 2022 F1 season.

During an interview with RacingNews365, the Monegasque driver said:

“I will definitely not be the one making those types of decisions. Red Bull have made it clear, what are their intentions. And they did it very early in the season. Concerning us, I haven’t spoken about it with Mattia [Binotto], and I haven’t heard anything about it. I don’t want to rely on that either.”

Leclerc, who led the World Drivers' Championship standings till his DNF at the 2022 F1 Spanish GP, went on to add, saying:

“I just want to do the job in the car. We have already shown that we can win races anyway and, if we do a strong enough job, then I’m pretty sure that the chances are there anyway.”

Having gone four races without a win, the Scuderia will be hoping to break Red Bull's stranglehold on the top step of the podium at the 2022 F1 Azerbaijan GP next month.