Leclerc is known for his strong performances in qualifying, having achieved more pole positions than any other driver during the 2022 F1 season.
When quizzed on whether his one-lap pace goes hand-in-hand with an element of risk, the 25-year-old acknowledged that he has been pushing himself a lot in Q3, particularly given Ferrari’s deficit to Red Bull.
Scuderia Ferrari Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc intends to maintain his driving style despite spinning out of qualifying during the Miami Grand Prix weekend, which made things difficult for him on Sunday at the at the Miami International Autodrome in Florida, USA, having to settle for seventh place in the fifth round of the 2023 Formula One campaign.
The driver from Monaco caused the red flag to come out after crashing during the final stages of Q3 and expressed frustration at himself for repeating the same error he had made during Friday’s Free Practice session, when he also lost control of his car. Charles Leclerc faced backlash for his mishap, as several pundits, including Sky Sports F1 commentator Martin Brundle urged the Ferrari driver to reduce the number of mistakes he makes, pointing out that “I think he drives absolutely to the ragged edge of the limit and it keeps catching him out.”
At the same time, the Ferrari man was asked whether he plans to change his driving style following the events which took place in the Miami weekend, Charles Leclerc confirmed that: “No, I don’t think so.”
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However, the Monegasque driver is aware that at times he needs to better evaluate the risks and manage his style in a more efficient manner during the final stages of the qualifying sessions, but at the same time he feels that his incident at the Miami International Autodrome was in fact triggered by the fact that his SF-23 challenger had a more “aggressive” set-up.
Charles Leclerc has established a reputation for his impressive qualifying performances, having secured the most pole positions of any driver throughout the previous Formula 1 championship.
When asked about the connection between his speed in qualifying and the level of risk he takes, Charles admitted that he has been pushing himself to the limit in Q3, especially given Ferrari’s disadvantage compared to rivals Red Bull:
“I obviously need to, in those weekends especially, just manage it differently in Q3,” Charles Leclerc added – “But, at the end, it’s like this. I think I put myself also in a difficult situation because I wanted a very aggressive set-up for qualifying. Knowing that this was the set-up, I will need to extract the most out of the car. I probably did a step too far, and this is something I’ll look at.” – the Ferrari man pointed out.
“I know that, in Q3, I am obviously taking quite a lot of risk,” the Monegasque driver stated – “When I look at Baku, honestly, yes it is a mistake, but [on the] second lap I knew that the tyres were overheated, so it’s not the same.”
“These mistakes [in Miami], I am much more angry with myself compared to Baku, where I think I managed really well the weekend overall. [I am] very, very angry with myself. I think it comes from [the fact that], on one side, I am taking a lot of risks in Q3 to try and do something special, because I know we are behind Red Bull at the moment. But also, I think what [was] taking the upper hand [in Miami] is that I have a very aggressive set-up.” – Scuderia Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc concluded.
Scuderia Ferrari is now focused on the 2023 Emilia Romagna GP, where the Maranello team will continue to bring some upgrades hoping to reduce the gap to Red Bull and be able to challenge Mercedes and Aston Martin for second place in the Constructors’ Championship.
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