After securing a race win at the Australian GP and a strong P1 and P2 finish for both Ferrari drivers, the team entered the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix with high hopes of carrying forward the momentum. However, despite Ferrari’s good performance, a decision made by the team management in the middle of FP3 left last race’s runner-up, Charles Leclerc, feeling dissatisfied.
During the FP3 session, Charles Leclerc, the talented Ferrari driver, encountered an unexpected situation. He was the first driver to see the checkered flag at the end of the practice session in Suzuka. However, he was visibly displeased with Ferrari’s run plan for him.
The debrief began early at Ferrari after FP3 😳#F1 #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/4Umvf3lmBx
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 6, 2024
The Maranello team’s strategy left Leclerc short of time to complete a second flying lap. As a result, he missed out on potentially crucial running during the session. His frustration likely stemmed from the missed opportunity to gather valuable data and fine-tune his performance ahead of the race. Ferrari’s decision to call the checkered flag earlier impacted Leclerc’s preparation for the upcoming Japanese Grand Prix.
Charles Leclerc mystified after Qualifying P8
During the Japanese Grand Prix qualifying session, Charles Leclerc faced challenges with his Ferrari SF-24 challenger. Despite a positive feeling during the lap, the lap times indicated otherwise, resulting in a disappointing P8 start for Leclerc.
“It’s not good. Obviously especially on a qualifying like this, where if I rely on the feeling, the feeling is pretty good. If I look at the lap times after that, it’s a disaster.” Leclerc said after qualifying.
He expressed frustration over the situation, emphasizing that there were no mistakes, yet the performance was slow. Leclerc mentioned that the grip available from the car was unexpectedly low, leaving him puzzled. The team will need to investigate the issues further to understand why the tires didn’t perform as expected.
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