Ferrari star Charles Leclerc warns ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix: “Overtaking is impossible”

It was already clear even before the start of the 14th race weekend of the year that the new Madring circuit poses a particular challenge for the Formula 1 stars and their teams. The track layout is a real challenge: blind corners, winding braking zones and a few nerve-wracking sections keep the GP drivers on their toes. Friday’s practice sessions were therefore used to familiarise themselves with the demanding street circuit at the IFEMA exhibition centre.

Charles Leclerc was among the fastest drivers on the new circuit. The Ferrari driver finished the first practice session in third place, 0.459 seconds off the FP1 fastest time set by Mercedes veteran George Russell. In the second session, the Monegasque driver stepped up his pace and set the second-fastest lap. In the end, just over a tenth separated him from the day’s fastest time, which World Championship leader Kimi Antonelli had set on the Spanish tarmac.

Charles Leclerc explains why qualifying is particularly important

Afterwards, Leclerc said: “It was a very interesting day, because this is a completely new circuit for everyone, and it’s a real challenge. I think we’re in for one of the most exciting qualifying sessions of the year, because we’ve realised that overtaking here is very difficult, if not impossible. I noticed that in the second practice session when I tried it. That’s why qualifying is particularly important; it will be the most crucial moment of the weekend here.”

But the 28-year-old knows the race will also be tricky for other reasons: “It’s going to be very, very difficult to keep the tyres alive. To be honest, I was quite impressed by the grip we have here, as this is a brand-new circuit and, as you’d expect, there’s very little rubber on the track. That’s why I also believe the track conditions will improve. Nevertheless, it’s certainly going to be very, very difficult.”

Lots of laps, lots of data

The nine-time Grand Prix winner did not want to comment on the balance of power. “The car felt good, but it’s true that Mercedes put in a very strong performance. However, we don’t want to focus too much on the day’s fastest time, as we don’t know what practice programmes the other teams and drivers have been running. We simply tried to complete as many laps as possible, and that’s what we did, in order to gather as much data as we could. This will help us prepare for qualifying, and that’s why I think we’ve done a good job. But we’ll see how far we get in qualifying.”

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