Charles Leclerc explains mistake in Sprint qualifying at Shanghai circuit

Charles Leclerc explains mistake in Sprint qualifying at Shanghai circuit | 2024 F1 Chinese GP. Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc opens up on error in Sprint qualifying at Shanghai circuit.

In China, the first Sprint qualifying of the year doesn’t go well for Scuderia Ferrari: the Prancing Horse struggles in the wet, Charles Leclerc makes an almost fatal error in SQ3, then recovers. The Monegasque’s explanation leaves a glimmer of optimism for the rest of the weekend.

Immediately chasing time after just one hour of free practice, the drivers in Shanghai have to deal with complicated weather. The leaden sky over the track adds to the difficulty coefficient of the Chinese Sprint qualifiers. Rain arrives already in the second session, complicating the SQ3, dotted with spins, track limits violations, and canceled laps.

Charles Leclerc immediately encountered difficulties: “From the first preparation lap, it was extremely difficult to get the tires up to temperature,” confessed the Monegasque. Then he explained the reason for his mistake: “I tried to be a bit more aggressive, but then I lost the car in turn 8. That made our qualifying a bit more difficult.” The Ferrari driver was forced back to the pits to change the front wing, losing precious time and tire temperature.

“Once again, I couldn’t give my best in qualifying, and I’m not happy about it,” Charles Leclerc told Sky Sport’s microphones. The Chinese difficulties give way to a small glimmer of hope, a marked improvement compared to recent outings: “If we look at the positive side, I managed to make progress in the dry. I’m very happy about that. I’ve worked a lot on tire preparation in dry conditions. It seems that there are some initial results, but we’ll see tomorrow, also in the Sprint.” – the Ferrari driver concluded at the end of the Sprint qualifying session which was held at the 5.451-kilometre Shanghai International Circuit earlier today.