Ferrari star Charles Leclerc: “It makes most drivers a bit sad”

Charles Leclerc was left disappointed at the latest Formula 1 showdown at the Red Bull Ring: after the Monegasque driver had benefited from Max Verstappen’s crash in qualifying and celebrated securing second place on the grid, he could not manage better than eighth place on race day. His disappointing form raised many questions. As he admitted in the Silverstone paddock, there were some he was unable to answer in the days following the chequered flag.

“Of course, it helped that the weekend went without any major problems; a trend became apparent with every lap in Austria. We were quite strong on Saturday, but that changed on Sunday, and that’s different from the rest of the season so far. Normally, we’re stronger in the race than in qualifying. So we had a lot of work ahead of us; both the team and I had a lot to do to understand what we could have done better on Sunday,” explained the Monegasque driver.

Less driving enjoyment on the traditional circuits

“It certainly wasn’t an easy race Sunday for the team and especially for me. That’s why the best thing is for me to simply work as hard as possible to understand what’s been going wrong for the last few races. To be honest, the last few races have been difficult, but it was clear to me what was causing me problems. We then made a change, and both my feel for the bike and my pace improved. But in Austria, I struggled significantly more on Sunday than before, and I’ve put a lot of effort into trying to understand a few things. I don’t know if that’s enough – actually, it’s never enough – and I’ll carry on working as hard as possible and try to find more pace,” added the 28-year-old.

On top of his personal issues is the concern about the enjoyment of driving on traditional circuits such as Silverstone, a concern Leclerc shares with all the drivers. He says: “I think it makes most drivers a bit sad, because circuits like Silverstone, Spa or Suzuka are tracks where the bravest were rewarded in qualifying. You were right on the limit, and at very high speeds. Now, because of the changes to energy management, the high-speed corners are more like medium-speed ones, and I’m not quite sure what to expect. I have a hunch, and I’m sure it won’t feel quite as special as it used to.”

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