Charles Leclerc has spoken critically about the Formula 1 regulations after qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix. The Ferrari driver finished fourth, which he is satisfied with. He focused mainly on the impact of the current rules during qualifying. “It’s a joke,” said Leclerc.
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Charles Leclerc starts the race in Japan from fourth position, behind the two Mercedes drivers and Oscar Piastri. His final fast lap started strongly, but in turn eight he briefly lost control of his car. He managed to continue his lap. According to the Monegasque, this moment had no negative impact on his performance. “People think I lost time because of that moment, but actually I carried a lot of speed. Because of that, I gained time. So it was a good thing and I don’t think it ruined my lap,” Leclerc told in the paddock in Suzuka.
‘Very frustrating’
Despite that positive feeling about his lap, Leclerc is not satisfied with the way qualifying feels with the new regulations. According to him, drivers are limited in their ability to drive on the limit. “I honestly can’t stand these rules in qualifying. It’s a joke. I go faster in the corners, get on the gas earlier, but I lose everything on the straight. It’s very frustrating, because when you go into Q3 you try things that are slightly different. When you do that, the system has to re-optimize everything while you are driving,” said Leclerc.
According to the Ferrari driver, drivers now have to drive differently to still set a lap time. “For some reason, in Q3 I start gaining time in the corners but losing it on the straights. Qualifying is about finding the limit and playing with it, but at the moment you are punished as soon as you look for that limit. You can never drive a full lap because you always have to sacrifice something and that is just frustrating.”
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‘Putting under pressure’
Leclerc hopes that the FIA will come up with solutions quickly, as he sees that the Ferrari engine is more sensitive to the regulations than the Mercedes power unit. “I feel like we have a bit more trouble compared to the Mercedes engine and that is something we need to look at. I know the FIA is working on a solution and hopefully that happens quickly,” said the Monegasque.
For the race, Leclerc does not see a victory within reach yet. According to him, the Mercedes cars have a clear speed advantage. “With a good start we can put Mercedes under pressure, but they eventually drive away like in the past races. Only if we can still fight in the last lap, which is unlikely, can we perhaps hope for a victory. As soon as they drive in clean air, overtaking becomes impossible for us,” the Ferrari driver concluded.
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