Charles Leclerc, an almost perfect weekend

Charles Leclerc demonstrated all his class in Las Vegas. The Ferrari driver had an almost perfect weekend. He secured pole position on Saturday, and then a strong second place on Sunday, after leading the race for two stints. Although he wasn’t helped by incidents and safety cars, he achieved his best race result since the Austrian Grand Prix on July 2nd.

Just like his weekend, he reclaimed his second position from Sergio Perez in the final seconds.

Qualifications dominated with flying colors

Charles Leclerc achieved the perfect qualifying session. Three times, the Monegasque set the three fastest times, securing the pole position for Sunday. Reflecting Ferrari’s dominance on Saturday, Carlos Sainz obtained the second-best time three times. While Red Bull and Max Verstappen are dominating this season, the World Champion finished +0.378 seconds behind Charles Leclerc.

Before approaching this qualifying session, the driver sporting number 16 was worried. The track did not inspire much confidence in him, however, at the end of Sunday’s race, Charles Leclerc explained that his doubts quickly faded. “I am quite surprised by this track,” he explained on Sunday in the mixed zone to Canal +. “The first time I saw the layout, I expected it to be a not-so-friendly track to drive on, but in qualifying, I had a lot of fun, which resulted in an insane race.”

A difficult departure

The first relay was not ideal for Charles Leclerc. From the start, the 26-year-old driver was overtaken by Max Verstappen. Being on the dirty side of the track, the Monegasque slightly struggled for grip. The Dutchman took advantage and positioned himself on the inside of the first turn. Charles Leclerc opted to delay his braking in order to regain the advantage on the outside. However, as both were neck and neck, Max Verstappen went wide, completing his overtake off the track. In the end, he will be penalized with a five-second penalty.

« At the moment, I wasn’t happy because he lost control of the car and pushed me,” Charles Leclerc declared on the encrypted channel microphone. « Afterward, he told me that he was too far inside and lost grip. He apologized. He took and paid his penalty. I was in a situation where I had a lot to lose because they have already won the driver and constructor championships. I moved aside as much as possible and there was no contact.

The safety car deployed as early as the 4th lap allows Leclerc to catch up. Showing a good pace, Leclerc will stay in touch with his intermediate tires. Before Verstappen rushes into the pit lane, the Monegasque passes him again on the 16th lap. He will lead the race until the 22nd lap, where he will enter the pit stop.

A second relay with twists and turns

Ferrari’s strategy and Charles Leclerc’s strategy were simple: a single pit stop. After starting on intermediates, his car was equipped with hard tires to go from the 23rd to the 50th and final lap. However, the pit stop was long, dropping him to 3rd place, over 9 seconds behind leader Sergio Perez.

On the 27th lap, a safety car is deployed following a contact between George Russell and Max Verstappen. The drivers, including the leader, will come into the pit for a tire change, allowing Leclerc to regain the first position. Eventually, on the 32nd lap, the new tires of the Mexican driver will overcome the Scuderia’s pilot. « It’s a shame because I think without the safety car, we were in a very good position », stated Charles Leclerc. « Unfortunately, with the strategy, everyone stops and we are left with hard tires after only five laps, and that makes a difference. After getting them up to temperature, when they cooled down, it’s very complicated to heat them up again. By the time we managed to do so, it was too late. »

A second place with strong determination

Charles Leclerc nearly ruined his race. About ten laps before the end, the Monegasque made a mistake in a turn, losing time. Perez took advantage of this to overtake him. Finally, after increasing his pace and fighting for several minutes to stay within the DRS zone, the former Alfa Romeo driver regained the advantage in the final seconds. « “I’m sorry for this second place for Ferrari fans, but I’m sure that everyone who watched this race enjoyed it,” explained Charles Leclerc on the F1 podium. « “Anyway, I enjoyed it and I hope we’ll have more races like this. I like it when it’s competitive.” »

Although he leaves with 18 points and a trophy, he has some regrets. « “When I look at the race, it hurts to finish second, but it was an incredible Grand Prix, both in terms of my performance and the car’s,” he conceded to Canal +.

The next and final meeting of the season will take place next Sunday in Abu Dhabi.