Charles Leclerc, harsh outburst after qualifying: Ferrari driver’s words go around the world

Also in Japan, site of the third race weekend of the F1 World Championship season, the controversy over the new technical regulations in force as of this season continues, and making further noise at the end of qualifying at Suzuka are the words that Charles Leclerc uttered over the radio, without hiding his frustration not so much over the fourth place on the grid as over the impossibility, in his opinion, of being able to get the most out of his Ferrari because of the actions to be taken to manage the power unit’s energy.

“These qualifying sessions are a joke,” said Leclerc, without mincing words, speaking with his track engineer at the Ferrari wall, Bryan Bozzi. “In the corners I am fast, I accelerate and then I lose everything in the straight. It’s absurd!” Having qualified for Q3, Leclerc still managed to secure fourth place on the grid, behind the Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli and George Russell, as well as the McLaren of Oscar Piastri, but with a gap to the Bolognese’s pole position of more than six tenths of a second.

Energy management in qualifying is one of the focal points of the discussion between teams and the International Federation, so much so that in recent days an agreement had been reached to change some parameters, aimed at allowing drivers to think about lap time rather than ancillary issues. The changes, however, did not seem to be enough, at least according to the words, certainly not tender, of Ferrari’s Monegasque driver after qualifying in Japan.

The forced pause of the World Championship in April, due to the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian GPs, could be useful to further refine a regulation that, so far, has been the target of numerous criticisms, both from fans and from the insiders themselves. Inevitably, the FIA will have to take into account feedback from drivers and teams, lest the controversy become even heavier as the season goes on.