Russian Grand Prix – Read how Ferrari dealt with Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc during the first stint of the race at the Sochi Autodrom.
With Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel making a great start from P3 to snatch the lead away from Charles Leclerc on the run to Turn 2, the team attempted to orchestrate a swap of positions early in the race. However, the order was resisted by Sebastian Vettel as he felt he had taken the place on merit. Speaking after his retirement on Lap 28 with an MGU-K failure, he said he felt he had approached the race fairly, while Charles Leclerc agreed a slipstream tactic had been agreed upon prior to the race.
Below, here’s a transcript of how the opening 28 laps played out over team radio. Some repetitious broadcasts are omitted, such as updates on laptimes and gaps given on a lap-by-lap basis.
Team Radio Transcript
(After the race start, Vettel leads as the race is neutralised under Safety Car for the Lap 1 clash of Daniel Ricciardo, Romain Grosjean and Antonio Giovinazzi.)
Engineer to Leclerc: “Safety Car, Safety Car. Stay positive. Slow button on.”
Engineer to Vettel: “Safety Car. Safety Car.”
Leclerc to engineer: “Just for me to understand – the situation was pretty clear right?”
Vettel to engineer: “Ok, copy that. you will let me know on the start?”
Engineer to Leclerc: “Yes, I will come back to you, everything is fine.”
….”A reminder to maximise full throttle for the restart.”
Leclerc: “Yeah, copy.”
Engineer to Vettel: “The start performance was the same, we are looking into swapping.”
Vettel to engineer: “”Copy, I was ahead, after, after turn 1, your call”
Engineer to Vettel: “Understood. Watch out for debris there, keep working on your tyres and save fuel.”
….”We will look into the best time later in the race.”
Engineer to Leclerc: “OK so Charles, start performance was the same and we are looking to do the swap later in the race.”
Leclerc to engineer: “OK, no problems – this I understand.”
Engineer to Leclerc: “Copy.”
Ferrari prepare for the restart:
Engineer to Leclerc: “Safety Car in this lap. Safety Car in. Try to maximise throttle, and K2 on.”
Engineer to Vettel: “Safety Car in.”
Lap 5:
Engineer to Leclerc: “Lewis 1.2 behind.”
Leclerc to engineer: “Gap to behind is fine now.
Engineer to Leclerc: ‘Copy, understood.”
Engineer to Leclerc: “OK, Sebastian will let you by next lap.”
Engineer to Vettel: “Hamilton is 2.4 behind Charles. Let Charles by, let Charles by.”
Engineer to Leclerc: “Sebastian will let you by.”
Vettel to engineer: “*static and break up*..you know that so I would have gotten him anyways. But let’s break away for another two laps.”
Engineer to Vettel: “OK, understood. Head down.”
Leclerc to engineer: ‘Where?”
Engineer to Leclerc: “We’ll do it next lap.”
Engineer to Leclerc: “DRS enabled.”
Engineer to Vettel: ‘Let Charles by, Hamilton is three seconds back.”
Engineer to Leclerc: ‘He will let you by.”
Vettel to engineer: ‘Tell him to close up.”
Engineer: “OK, copy.”
Leclerc to engineer: “When?”
Engineer to Leclerc: “OK, try to close the gap and we will do it next lap.”
Leclerc to engineer: ‘You put me behind, I respected everything. We will speak later. But now it’s difficult to close the gap obviously.”
Engineer to Vettel: “He’s trying to close the gap. Let him by, he’s 1.4 behind.”
Engineer to Leclerc: ‘So he should let you by this lap. He’ll let you by.”
Engineer to Vettel: ‘Charles is 1.6 behind.”
Engineer to Vettel: “Charles is 1.7 behind.”
Engineer to Vettel: ‘You are the fastest car on track. Head down, you are doing well.”
Engineer to Vettel: “We are looking into Plan C. Charles is 1.9 behind.
Engineer to Leclerc: ‘We need to try to close the gap.”
Leclerc to Engineer: “Yeah but guys I mean… (cuts off)
Ferrari’s Laurent Mekies gets on the radio to Leclerc: ‘Charles we will do the swap a bit later on. Lewis is a bit close and we want to push now. In the race, we will do the swap a bit later – just focus on your race, thank you.”
Leclerc to Mekies: “I completely understand. The only thing is that I respected and gave the slipstream, no problems. Then I tried to push at the beginning of the race but overheated the tyres, but anyway…no problems. I’m managing the situation.”
Engineer to Vettel: “Charles 2.2 behind, his last lap was 39.2.”
Engineer to Vettel: “You are doing a good job on tyres, Charles 2.5 behind.”
Engineer to Leclerc: :We need WG position 9, WG position 9.”
Engineer to Vettel: “Try to improve Turn 4. Turn 4. We are fastest now.”
Engineer to Vettel: “Good job on Turn 4, that was better – Charles 3.4 behind.”
Engineer to Leclerc: ‘Front wing update when you can.”
Leclerc: “Yeah OK like this.”
Engineer to Vettel: “Good job on Turn 4 – Charles 3.7 behind. Hamilton starting to push – 3.6 behind.”
Engineer to Leclerc: “Gap to Sebastian 3.7 – Hamilton behind 3.3.”
Engineer to Vettel: “Update on front wing. Charles 3.9 behind.”
Vettel: “Plus one.”
Engineer to Leclerc: ‘Try to improve apex speeds Turns 5 and 8. Hamilton behind 3.1.”
Engineer to Leclerc: “You can push now. Hamilton behind 3.1.”
Vettel to Engineer: “Laptimes?”
Engineer: “Hamilton behind Leclerc 3.4. Charles 38.5, Hamilton 38.9.”
Vettel: “Copy.”
Engineer to Vettel: “OK, cop we are on Plan C. We are on Plan C.”
“Charles is four seconds behind. We will have a long run on the Medium tyres.”
Engineer to Leclerc: ‘Plan C, we are going to Plan C.”
Engineer to Leclerc: “Hamilton behind 3.3. Charles laptime 8.4, Hamilton 8.3, Sebastian laptime 38.4.”
Leclerc: “Yeah I know we are quickest on laptime.”
Engineer to Leclerc: “Verstappen behind is not a threat. 39.4, so head down, racing Merc. Hamilton behind 3.3.”
Engineer to Vettel: “Focus on Turn 15 and 16. Focus on Turn 15 and 16. Charles behind 4.2. Laptime 8.7.”
Engineer to Vettel: “Charles 4.4 behind. Update on tyres when you can. Charles laptime 8.7 and Hamilton 8.5. Bottas 10 seconds behind Hamilton.”
Engineer to Leclerc: “Gap to Hamilton 2.9″
Engineer to Vettel: ‘Tyre phase update when you can.”
Engineer to Leclerc: “Charles laptime 8.7. Gap to Hamilton 2.7.”
Engineer to Vettel: “Kubica in front should have blue flags.”
Leclerc to engineer: “Rear left.”
Lap 22 – Ferrari pit Leclerc:
Engineer to Leclerc: ‘Mode position two, mode position two. And box now, box.”
Engineer to Vettel: “Charles is coming in this lap. Hamilton is 6.2 behind on medium tyre, laptime 8.7.”
Engineer to Leclerc: “And reset brake balance. Track is clear.”
Engineer to Leclerc: ‘And K2 off. Bottas in front ten seconds.”
Engineer to Vettel: ‘Hamilton 6.6 behind.”
Engineer to Leclerc: ‘Bottas in front ten seconds, he did not pit. And behind we have Verstappen at 10.5 seconds and still needs to pit.”
Engineer to Vettel: “Hamilton 6.3 behind, laptime 38.8.”
Vettel: “My rears are falling off now.”
Engineer: ‘Copy that.”
Engineer to Leclerc: “We need to push, we need to push.”
Engineer to Vettel: “We’re worried about Hamilton going long. 38.8.”
Engineer to Leclerc: “Bottas in front 9.5. Verstappen 12 seconds behind.”
Lap 26 – Ferrari pit Vettel:
Engineer to Vettel: “Charles laptime 37.7.”
Engineer to Vettel: ‘And box, Sebastian. Box.”
Engineer to Leclerc: ‘And we need you to push, push now. Sebastian stopping now.”
Engineer to Vettel: “Mode 4. Tight with Charles on exit.”
Engineer to Leclerc: ‘K1 plus available, K1 plus available, it will be tight with Sebastian on exit.”
Vettel to engineer: “I’ve got no K, I’ve got no K. Tell me something, I’ve got no K.”
Engineer: ‘We’re looking into it, we know.”
Vettel: “OK, copy.”
Engineer: “And box. Stop the car now, stop the car.”
Vettel: “You serious?”
Engineer: “Yeah.”
Vettel: “OK, stopping now. I’m stopped. Engine off.”
Engineer: “Jump out safely.”
Vettel: “Bring back the fucking V12s.” – said as he parked the Ferrari while the race was neutralised under VSC.
Engineer to Leclerc: “So Sebastian has an issue and is stopped at Turn 17. Virtual Safety Car deployed, stay positive, stay positive.”
Additional reporting by Aron Day.
