Leclerc 'surprise' at F1 "big step forward"
Leclerc 'surprise' at F1 "big step forward"
Charles Leclerc has conceded his 'surprise' at how closely the new generation of F1 machinery allowed him to follow Max Verstappen after losing the lead in Saudi Arabia.
At each of the first two races of the new season, Leclerc and Verstappen have gone head to head for victory but in Saudi Arabia, the Ferrari driver got his first true sample of what it is like to follow another driver in the new cars.
F1 is racing to an all-new technical rulebook this year with the regulations aimed at improving the ability of drivers to follow another car by reducing the turbulent air.
"Last year, you didn't really know what balance you were going to get going into a corner and that would make it very difficult for our confidence to follow anyone, you would lose so much grip," said Leclerc.
"It is definitely a step in the right direction and I love it. I think for racing it is great.
"When Max overtook me at first I thought my race was not over, I never give up but I thought at this point it would be very difficult for me to stay behind and I was very surprised that I could actually stay there. It was nice."
Leclerc hails Pirelli tyres
F1 tyres supplier Pirelli has come under fire in recent years for producing tyres that quickly degrade and, as such, don't allow drivers to push across a race distance.
Although degradation remains a problem, the increased car weight from 752kg to 798kg is undoubtedly playing a part in this, Leclerc proclaimed himself a fan of the hard tyre offering from Saudi Arabia.
"I am really enjoying it, that is for sure," added Leclerc.
"I think Bahrain is one of the easiest tracks to fight on the calendar.
"I think [in Saudi Arabia] we are also helped by those hard tyres, I think everyone felt quite good with them and they are good tyres to push on and actually it was allowing us to follow very closely."
Daily Poll - Monaco Grand Prix - Should F1 replace its jewel in the crown?
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Horner delivers Newey VERDICT as design guru's Red Bull exit is confirmed
- 7 minutes ago
F1 team boss responds to Red Bull's Marko 'offer' claims
- 1 hour ago
F1 champion SLAMS 'pointless' motorsport crossover
- 2 hours ago
Why Adrian Newey is the BEST and WORST thing to happen to F1
- 3 hours ago
F1 Miami Grand Prix weather forecast - latest today
- 3 hours ago
Adrian Newey: The real F1 MVP and genius behind Red Bull domination
- Today 13:10
- 1
Related news
Leclerc pictured with new love as post hits 3 MILLION likes
Newey 'desire' for DIFFERENT role at Ferrari revealed
Ferrari show off new-look drivers following HUGE announcement
Sky Sports F1 pundit dumbfounded by key Ferrari decision
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