"Leclerc is strong in qualifying, not in the race": Ferrari driver hits out at critics after Japan GP

Scuderia Ferrari Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc has sharply responded to those who have accused him of being more of a qualifying than a race driver at the end of the Japanese Grand Prix, which was held on Sunday at the Suzuka circuit.

Despite finishing once again behind Carlos Sainz, Charles Leclerc can still be very satisfied with the performance shown at the Japanese GP. The Monegasque managed to make up for a rather disappointing qualifying, climbing up four positions and finishing just shy of the podium, behind his teammate and the two Red Bulls, who made a strong comeback in Suzuka after the Melbourne debacle.

However, what surprised about car number 16’s race was the competitiveness and consistency of performance with both tire compounds, being the only top driver to extend the medium tire stint up to the 25th lap and to make just one pit stop.

Charles Leclerc has always been labeled as an extremely effective driver in qualifying, while often receiving criticism for his management in various race phases. Asked about this aspect in interviews, Charles wanted to clear the air: “I believe I have always been described as a very fast driver in qualifying, not so much in the race.”

“This year I am not doing anything particularly different, but we have a car that performs much better in the race, which is much more pleasant on the tires. We have worked on this aspect and think we have understood the direction we need to go with the car to have an easier life in the race. Therefore, I believe we are making progress this year.” – the Monegasque driver pointed out.

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Despite a very solid race pace, Charles Leclerc is aware that he still needs to do better in qualifying compared to Saturday’s eighth place: “This should not harm our qualifying performance, so I don’t think it’s related to my difficulties in the last two qualifiers. I believe the problem is more mine and the way we warm up the tires in the out lap. I will examine this to try to understand what I can do better. We had a great strategy, great tire management, a great pace, but it’s not enough when you start from eighth place. It hasn’t happened often in my career that I need to focus on qualifying, because usually it’s one of my strengths, but I struggled in Australia, so I will focus on this aspect. Usually, when I work on something, I improve quite quickly, so I am confident I can improve rapidly.” – Scuderia Ferrari Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc concluded at the end of the Japanese Grand Prix.