“They f***ed up”: Christian Horner sympathises with Charles Leclerc in Drive to Survive after Ferrari mishaps in 2022

Ferrari’s flawed strategy in the 2022 season – which was a major reason behind Charles Leclerc’s failed title challenge – was noticed across the paddock, as was revealed in the latest edition of Netflix's Drive to Survive.

In an episode of the docuseries, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner was heard talking about the Italian outfit's strategy during the British Grand Prix, which led to Leclerc losing the race and a podium place.

Although it wasn't a particularly bad day for Ferrari since Carlos Sainz clinched his maiden race win, it could have been much better owing to the fact that the Monegasque was their championship contender.

Horner said:

"They f***ed up Leclerc’s strategy, really. They should have boxed both of them. Even if Hamilton stayed out, he’s on old scrub tyres."

Leclerc lost his lead at Silverstone following the safety car deployment in the 39th lap, after Esteban Ocon's retirement from the race.

Leclerc was leading the pack until that point, although he was driving with old, hard tires. Sainz and Lewis Hamilton, in second and third place respectively, pitted for fresh soft tires, with Ferrari deciding against doing the same for the Mongegasque. After the race restarted, Hamilton was able to overtake Leclerc, making it a huge loss for him.

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Charles Leclerc opens up about Mattia Binotto incident

Similar to the British GP, the team made a lot of strategic errors throughout the 2022 season which ultimately led to yet another championship slipping out of their hands.

However, the race at Silverstone saw something weird. After the race, Mattia Binotto, the then-Ferrari team principal, appeared to publicly reprimand Charles Leclerc.

While this was criticized by fans and many thought that there was going to be a rough time between the Italian and the Monegasque, Charles Leclerc revealed in Drive to Survive that Binotto was only trying to cheer him up after the race.

"He was actually pissed off at me because I was too down, and so he was trying to cheer me up. Everybody was wondering why he was putting the finger like this, but I think he was just frustrated to see me so down after such a great race."

Ferrari are expected to mount a serious title challenge in the 2023 season. The pre-season testing session was relatively good for the Maranello-based team, and there are high hopes from them this season.