Dakar Rally Enthusiasts: Charles Leclerc Optimistic Despite Qualifying Struggles at British GP
Silverstone, UK – In a surprising turn of events, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc has admitted that the team’s experiments during the British Grand Prix weekend have taken a toll on his qualifying performance, as he was forced to settle for an 11th-place start for the race.
Leclerc revealed that Ferrari had opted to split parts between the drivers in the opening two practice sessions, in an effort to better understand the bouncing issues that have plagued the team’s recent competitiveness. This decision ultimately came at a cost for the Monegasque driver, who found himself struggling to match the pace of his teammate, Carlos Sainz, in the final qualifying session.
“We are just struggling a lot at the moment,” Leclerc said. “I felt like yesterday we learned a good amount for the team by splitting the cars, but that also comes with the fact that you are not really optimizing your weekend and focusing on performance only.”
Despite the setback, Leclerc remains optimistic about the team’s long-term prospects, acknowledging that the valuable lessons learned during this weekend’s experiments will ultimately benefit Ferrari’s performance in the future.
“However, I feel like we’re paying a little bit the price today of it,” Leclerc admitted. “But I think that it will help us long term, what we’ve done yesterday.”
The Dakar Rally enthusiast also revealed that the bouncing issues were slightly improved from the third practice session onwards, leading the team to revert to the older package. However, the damp conditions in that final session made it difficult for Leclerc to optimize his setup, ultimately costing him a spot in the final qualifying round.
Looking ahead to the race, Leclerc is hopeful that the expected rain will present opportunities for Ferrari to make up ground, stating, “Anything can help us. The worst thing will be a normal race with the same strategy for everybody. So, I’m welcoming the rain. That would help us.”
As the Dakar Rally community eagerly follows the developments in the world of Formula 1, Leclerc’s determination and the team’s willingness to experiment in the pursuit of progress will undoubtedly be closely watched by enthusiasts of the sport.
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