Leclerc will not change his driving style, despite his regular accidents
The Monegasque driver had a difficult weekend at the Miami Grand Prix after spinning out during qualifying, which prematurely ended the session. Despite this, the Ferrari driver has no intention of radically changing his driving style.
Charles Leclerc has no intention of changing his driving style despite his repeated accidents, including his spin during the qualifying session of the Miami Grand Prix which resulted in his Ferrari being destroyed in the tecpro. The Monegasque driver caused a red flag after his crash in Q3 and later admitted that he was “angry” at himself for making “the same mistake” as he did during Friday’s practice session.
The Leclerc incident has sparked criticism from some observers. Martin Brundle, in particular, asked the Ferrari driver to stop making so many mistakes, adding, “I think he is driving absolutely contrary to what is expected of him. I think he is driving absolutely on the edge and it continues to backfire on him.”
However, when asked on Saturday in Miami if he needed to modify his driving style, Leclerc told the media: “No, I don’t think so.”
Too aggressive in Miami
While Leclerc admits that he may need to manage his driving style differently during Q3 sessions, he believes that his mistake at the Miami International Autodrome was more of a consequence of adopting an “aggressive” setup. “It is obvious that I have to manage things differently in Q3, especially on these weekends,” Leclerc continued.
But also, I think that what prevailed [in Miami] is that I have very aggressive settings. However, he admits to being “angry with himself”: But in the end, that’s how it is. I think I also put myself in a difficult situation because I wanted a very aggressive setup for the qualifiers. Knowing the setup, I had to push the car to the limit.
A different pace in qualifying than in the race
Leclerc is known for his excellent performances in qualifying, having secured more pole positions than any other driver during the 2022 F1 season.
Asked about whether his pace over one lap goes hand in hand with an element of risk, the 25-year-old driver acknowledged that he pushed himself to the limit in Q3, particularly due to Ferrari’s deficit compared to Red Bull. « I think it’s because, on one hand, I take a lot of risks in Q3 to try and do something special, because I know we are currently behind Red Bull. »
After starting the race from 7th place on the grid, Leclerc finished the race in the same position.
