F1 News

Charles Leclerc didn’t “feel fully comfortable with the car balance or track”

Charles Leclerc didn’t “feel fully comfortable with the car balance or track”

20-09-2019 19:00
1

Bevan Youl

Charles Leclerc admits to no feeling “fully comfortable with the car balance or track” at the Singapore Grand Prix after a “tricky” Friday left him in P19 and P6 thanks to a gearbox problem.

Leclerc only managed to complete 12 laps in his Ferrari during FP1 due to a gearbox issue leaving him unable to run as mechanics fitted a new one in time for FP2.
 
The Monegasque managed 31 laps in the evening practice session with a focus on race simulation and testing out the different tyre compounds available for the weekend.
 
But the recent winner in Spa and Monza couldn’t quite get the feel of the streets of Singapore.
 
“It was a rather tricky day on my side,” Leclerc said
 
“We had an issue in FP1, so we couldn’t complete as many laps as we had planned, which was unfortunate.
 
“In the second session, I didn’t feel fully comfortable with the car balance or the track yet, and I think that there is also quite a bit of lap time to be gained by me improving my driving.”
 
Looking ahead to FP3 and qualifying Leclerc and his team will be making the most of the data gained to stay competitive at a track not suited to Ferrari as much as Mercedes and Red Bull.

“We will analyse the data and make sure that we take a good step forward for tomorrow,” he added.
 
“Coming to Singapore, we knew that our competitors would be strong and that it would not be the easiest weekend for us.

“But it’s not finished yet. We will give our all to come back stronger tomorrow.”