Leclerc finding new F1 cars fun for races, less so in qualifying

Charles Leclerc says the new generation of Formula 1 cars are fun for racing and have new tactics involved, but need improving in qualifying trim after his duel with Lewis Hamilton in the Chinese Grand Prix.

The two Ferrari drivers were battling over third place in Shanghai for the majority of Sunday’s race, following a similar scrap for second in the Sprint on Saturday. While Leclerc was ultimately beaten by his teammate – who secured the first grand prix podium of his Ferrari career – he says the different ways of being able to try and overtake another car make for fun racing.

“I really enjoyed it,” Leclerc said. “I'm not sure if you ask the team they will reply the same, but I really enjoyed it. Honestly, these cars for races, it's actually quite fun. And it was just a cool race.

“At the end of the day, Lewis was just stronger and I'm happy for his podium. I'm, of course, disappointed for losing out on the podium on my side, but I know I've given everything. And at the end of the day, Lewis was just stronger this weekend.

“I think it was a very fair, hard but fair battle, which was nice. And then there's also a lot of tactics from inside the cockpit, that is really cool. There was obviously this battle for who would get the overtake in the last corner. And we both brake very early. And the way you deploy and manage the energy. So, it was a fun race.

“I enjoy it, and it doesn't feel so artificial from inside the car. Of course, you've got also those overtakes where it's artificial, whenever someone is doing a mistake with the battery and completely drains it, and then there's a massive speed difference.

“But I feel like we are all converging a little bit towards knowing where shouldn't we go and where can we try and take the risk? And so that creates very interesting overtaking places. And I think [China] was showing that.”

Max Verstappen has been particularly vocal about the impact of the new cars on F1, but Leclerc says the combination of power and lower downforce can help encourage more wheel-to-wheel action, although he agrees the lack of flat-out qualifying laps needs addressing.

“It’s also a little bit easier to go around the outside. It's not those super high-downforce cars that we used to have in the past – that was a little bit tricky," Leclerc said. “However, there are some things that we of course need to look at to make it a little bit more Formula 1-like in qualifying, because I feel like there is something that we miss still. But I know FIA is working on it and hopefully we'll find a solution for that.”