Leclerc left “helpless” trying to drive around Ferrari problems
Leclerc left “helpless” trying to drive around Ferrari problems
Charles Leclerc has revealed he felt “helpless” as he tried to adapt his driving style to overcome Ferrari’s problems with tyre degradation during the French Grand Prix.
Until the race at the Paul Ricard Circuit, Leclerc had scored points in every race he had started so far this season but a disastrous downturn in form caused by higher track temperatures left him down in 16th place at Paul Ricard.
Asked if there was anything he could do as a driver to get around the issues, Leclerc said: “This is the biggest reason why we did a second stop, basically, to try something different.
“We would have dropped out of the points if we wouldn’t have stopped another time, so it was ideal for the race that if we could try and learn something. I tried a different approach and it didn’t change much.
“There’s not much we can do now but obviously we can always do better as drivers and we are also looking into that to try and improve the way we manage the tyres, but I felt a little bit helpless there, trying different things.”
Leclerc happy with relentless racing
Monégasque driver Leclerc is one of two non-Mercedes or Red Bull drivers in the top six in the championship, sitting on 52 points but 24 points behind McLaren rival Lando Norris.
This weekend is the eighth race of the season, the 25th in a calendar year, and with Ferrari 16 points behind McLaren in fourth, Leclerc is happy to be back racing straight away in a bid to get Ferrari’s third-place challenge back on track.
“I love what I do and I just really, really enjoy driving, so I am always very, very happy to be back on track,” he added. “Thursday is a bit boring, it’s not my favourite day, but then Friday, Saturday, Sunday I love what I do.
“I just really, really enjoy it and then leave on Sunday night, so we’ve got a good life, I am very happy that there are so many races, but it is definitely trickier for other people in the team.”
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Hamilton dealt China blow after major FIA decision as Ricciardo given huge Horner warning - GPFans F1 Recap
- 47 minutes ago
F1 team unveil star-studded lineup in China
- 1 hour ago
F1 Qualifying Today: Chinese Grand Prix 2024 start times, schedule and TV
- 2 hours ago
Horner delivers threat to Ricciardo over Red Bull pressure
- 2 hours ago
F1 Sprint Race Today: Chinese Grand Prix 2024 start times, schedule and TV
- 3 hours ago
Wolff left FUMING with Mercedes despite amazing Hamilton lap
- 3 hours ago
Related news
Ferrari calls for "tighter reins" on FIA staff
Hamilton “won’t question logic” of Mercedes development saga
FIA investigating additional gravel trap solutions for Red Bull Ring
Ferrari still not “addressed completely” its car issues - Binotto
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860