Behind the mistake made by Charles Leclerc on the last lap of yesterday’s qualifying session at the Miami International Autodrome in Florida, USA, there is also a choice of setup. An extreme setup judged by the Monegasque himself, who, just before the incident at turn 8, had lost a second-place time due to a braking error at turn 17.
“I think I put myself in a difficult situation,” said Charles Leclerc. “I wanted a very aggressive setup for qualifying, knowing that it would extract the maximum from the car. Probably I went too far, but I want to analyze everything at the end of the weekend.”
Charles Leclerc’s approach is praised (including by Frederic Vasseur) and is appreciated by many Ferrari fans, but obviously, it doesn’t reach unanimity.
A car against the barriers is never the best answer, but Charles, after a very self-critical premise, confirmed that he is aware of the risks he is taking.
“I also know that qualifying is my strong point,” clarified the Monegasque, “and obviously I take more risks. In Q3, this approach pays off nine times out of ten, but if you end up against the barriers twice in the same weekend, it’s not – he admitted.
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“I’m taking a lot of risks in Q3 to try to do something special,” continued Charles Leclerc, “because I know we’re behind the Red Bull at the moment. I did the same in Baku, and it went well, the whole weekend was managed well. Again, I’m angry with myself, but for this weekend, I decided on a more aggressive setup configuration that was too much for qualifying, but I hope it will pay off for us in the race. I’m sure it won’t be a problem to reset and mentally start fresh. On that front, I’m not worried.” – the Monegasque added.
Charles Leclerc still hopes to be able to secure a place on the podium in Miami, but the starting position is not the best considering that Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin will start from the front row.
“Let’s forget about the two Red Bulls,” Charles concluded, “because they are in their own championship. I think if we can finish behind them, it will be a great result, but I know it won’t be easy even against Fernando. The Aston Martin seems very strong on race pace.” – the Ferrari man admitted at the end of the qualifying session for the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix.
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