Leclerc, one of F1’s star qualifiers, has had several disappointing results against the clock in 2023, as he has struggled to keep to the minimalistic approach required in mixed conditions to reduce mistakes and keep the sensitive Pirelli tyres in the correct state with his aggressive driving style.
In addition to his Barcelona exit when that qualifying session had followed a wet FP3 and he qualified 19th there, he was eliminated in Canada’s Q2 session when changing from intermediates to slicks.
After successfully obtaining a spot in the front row for the Austrian GP, he was only able to achieve sixth place in the qualifying sprint shootout that took place the following day. This event occurred after the track at the Red Bull Ring had been wet for several hours beforehand.
Before the Spa weekend, Leclerc mentioned that he and Ferrari had dedicated significant effort to resolving the issues at hand. He expressed satisfaction with the outcome, as he secured a second-place finish in the GP qualifying for the Belgian event, just behind Max Verstappen.
Leclerc stated that he had been concentrating on “modifications to my approach to driving” because “in those circumstances, an assertive approach simply didn’t yield positive results for me”.
“I was experiencing a high number of errors and found it challenging to establish a strong foundation,” he remarked. “Therefore, I made some adjustments to my approach, and it appears to be more effective.”
An analysis of Leclerc’s efforts back in Barcelona compared to his driving at Spa on Friday evening reveals a much calmer approach overall.
Charles Leclerc, Scuderia Ferrari, in the post Qualifying Press Conference
Photo by: Motorsport Images
Other than a slight twitch catching an oversteer snap through Turn 8 – one the trickiest parts of the Spa layout on Friday after rain had doused the venue ahead of GP qualifying, along with the Turn 9 left up ahead where Esteban Ocon and Kevin Magnussen crashed – and a slide in the changing cambers of the final Bus Stop chicane, Leclerc’s SF-23 remained calm and poised throughout his run to a personal best 1m46.988s.
His precision on the narrow dry line was also notable, which suggests his efforts to keep the tyres in better shape – both at the right temperature to start laps and have enough life left to be fast at the end of fliers – have also paid off.
Leclerc, however, regretted being in the lead at the end of Q3 because he believed Ferrari had made their move “a bit too soon” without taking into account the changing track conditions. Verstappen, on the other hand, was one of the last drivers in Q3 to set a time.
Leclerc acknowledged that explaining the specifics of his adjustments in driving style for wet tracks is challenging due to the subtle nature of the changes. However, he did confess that he is now modifying the steering wheel tools used by Ferrari drivers to enhance car control during qualifying laps.
Leclerc stated that he has a highly assertive approach to driving, whether it is on a wet or dry track, and this strategy proves beneficial in those specific circumstances. However, when faced with intermediate conditions and using slick tires, this approach does not yield the same positive results.
“I experimented with various approaches and utilized tools to adjust the car’s configuration, enabling me to modify its behavior when transitioning between corners.”
“I immediately felt much more confident, which resulted in an improved lap time.”
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