End-of-day report. Post 14. Monday reading, as always, since the post has no television.
Start. Ferrari sends both cars out on soft tyres. The source calls it a misjudgement: the track was still too wet for slicks. Noted. I don’t judge.
First laps. Lewis Hamilton’s car drops back through the field. Charles Leclerc comes into the pits. Lewis Hamilton does not.
Lap five. The pit wall calls Hamilton in for intermediate tyres. He refuses. According to Formule1.nl, he replied on the radio: “No, let’s take the gamble now.”
Observation. In thirty years, race control has called me about four thousand times. I have answered “Post 14, received” four thousand times. I never tried the other reply. I didn’t know it existed on the frequency. I looked for it in the binder this morning, between the regulations and the sandwich evacuation plan. It isn’t there.
Result. Podium, according to the source. After the race, he joked that he would not go to the casino with those guys. He added that he remained confident in Ferrari and was very proud of his team: mechanics, engineers, catering. I noted the catering. At the post, the catering is me, a mug of coffee and the thermos.
Next. A constructive discussion within the team, and perhaps a win next week in Singapore, he said.
Josiane, if you say no on the radio just once, I promise I’ll redo it in the sim to see what happens.
Reply to colleague. No. It was a trial. It was conclusive. Jean-Luc, my reserve, was there. He went home a little worried.
Nothing further to report.
It’s true, we checked: Formule1.nl.
