Fourth in qualifying in Shanghai, Charles Leclerc is not showing great satisfaction. The Ferrari driver believes, however, that the race could offer better opportunities.
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Charles Leclerc finished qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix in fourth position, behind the two Mercedes and his teammate Lewis Hamilton. A decent result on paper, but one that does not completely satisfy the Monegasque driver.
Nevertheless, the Ferrari driver notes that the gap with the Mercedes seems to be narrowing. An encouraging trend in a weekend where the Italian team is trying to close in on the pace set by Mercedes.
“These cars are special in qualifying, we have to get used to them a bit, and me first, he admits. Consistency pays off more than looking for something totally new, and that’s what I tried to do today.”
Leclerc admits, however, that fourth place remains far from being ideal for a driver who regularly aims for the front rows: “I’m not very happy because a fourth place is not a great result.”
A circuit that doesn’t suit him
Beyond the raw result, Leclerc also recognizes that the Shanghai track has never been his favorite playground. The Monegasque driver admits that he has often encountered difficulties on this circuit since his debut in Formula 1.
“I have to say that I’m not very good on this circuit. It has always been the case and I’ve made a lot of effort to improve.”
One of the main difficulties lies in the management of energy and in the choice of compromises to be made during a fast lap. Drivers must sometimes accept losing a bit of performance in one sector to preserve the energy needed elsewhere.
“At times you feel there is more grip, but you can’t change things once the lap has started” he explains.
This complexity makes qualifying particularly delicate, as every management error can cost several tenths.
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An unusual qualifying session
According to Leclerc, current qualifying sessions require a very different approach from what drivers have known in the past. Engine and energy exploitation play a key role, sometimes at the expense of pure performance in certain corners.
“Yesterday in SQ3, I had achieved better sectors than in SQ2, but it didn’t show in the final time because of the engine. Today I was more consistent, and that’s probably what allowed me to get this result.”
This situation leads Leclerc to question the current balance between performance and technical management, believing that some regulatory adjustments might be necessary.
“It’s a bit of a strange qualifying. We’ll have to see if some things can be improved, perhaps more on the regulatory side than on the car side.”
The hope for a more open race
Despite an imperfect qualifying, Leclerc remains convinced that the race could offer more opportunities. The first laps are often hectic in Shanghai, which can reshuffle the deck very quickly.
“Third, fourth or second, in the end it doesn’t change much, because the first laps are often very chaotic. I know we are closer in the race than in qualifying. There is more excitement than last year because we feel we can do something.”
According to him, energy management could even become an asset against the Mercedes: “When they were ahead this morning, they had a three or four-tenths lead, but we were quite good in energy management. I hope we can stay stuck to them throughout the race.”
A scenario that could transform the frustration of qualifying into a real opportunity during the Grand Prix.
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