F1 | Leclerc eighth: “I tried everything, it's difficult to do more”

Up to this point it hasn't been the easiest weekend of the season for Charles Leclerc, who achieved his worst qualifying result in Suzuka at the start of the championship. An eighth place finish that leaves many doubts, especially for the Monegasque, who struggles to explain why he struggled so much in qualifying, not so much in putting together the lap, but in transforming it into a competitive time.

Already in the last morning session there were some signs of difficulty in making the hoped-for step forward in the transition to soft, so much so that even in Q3 the Red team managed to improve less than other rivals compared to the second heat. It is no coincidence that, even during the same qualifying, Leclerc carried out many experiments on the management of the exit lap, seeking a comparison between the various out-laps to understand how to improve and find a little something more.

A problem that Ferrari actually seems to have been carrying around since the first rounds of the season and that the drivers had already faced in previous rounds, but here in Suzuka, one of the most difficult and complex tracks of the season, this aspect can make the difference. The Red team clearly struggled in the first sector compared to its rivals, although it still showed progress compared to last season, when the limitations of the old SF-23 stood out even more clearly.

In Q3, where he only had one attempt available having burned a second set of new tires already in Q1, Leclerc was among the slowest overall in the first sector, finishing ahead of only Tsunoda. Sainz also showed some signs of difficulty against McLaren and Red Bull, but he was able to prove more incisive than his teammate, building a margin of two tenths which was then useful for placing himself on the second row on the starting grid .

“It's one of those sessions that happens once a season, but it's certainly not a good feeling. Everything seems fine to me, the balance is not wrong. Of course, we can always improve a little, but like in every qualifying, but… Yes, if I base myself on the sensations I had at the end of the lap, I honestly thought it was a good lap. Then I looked at the time board and you're a second away from the top,” Leclerc said at the end of the session, underlining that the sensations in the car were still positive.

The Monegasque spoke precisely about the issue of outlap management as one of the possible causes of his poor performance in qualifying: “When this happens, we usually look more at the tires and the way they are brought up to temperature. Today I tried many different things, but it didn't work. So, I don't have an answer at the moment. The tire didn't give me enough grip and we need to understand why. This year we struggled a lot in the preparation round. We tried everything, I chose the best preparation for Q3, I have no regrets, but today it was difficult to do better.”

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

“I don't know if the wind has changed slightly. We will check the data. I think from Q1 to Q3 it wasn't a positive session. In reality, already on the first lap of Q1 I thought the feeling was quite good, usually when it's like this the time arrives. Today it was completely the opposite. So we need to do some checks,” added the Ferrari driver, underlining that he still has no answers as to what didn't work well in this qualifying session, before mentioning the good race pace shown in third free practice, certainly among the best on the grid. However, some doubts remain about the maps used and the quantity of fuel on board.

“However, the positive aspect, if we have to find one, is that our race pace seems better. But on a track like this, the position achieved in qualifying is extremely important. And today we didn't do a good job. I just hope to have the opportunity to do some overtaking, because on a track like this it will be very, very difficult to overtake.”