What Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc did wrong in qualifying for the Formula 1 race in Japan and what impact it had on the Grand Prix
“As a driver, you always have to see the negative,” says Charles Leclerc. And from his point of view, that was qualifying at the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka. Because where his Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz finished fourth in the SF-24, Leclerc in the sister car didn’t get past P8.
This irritates Leclerc, as he considers himself a qualifying specialist: “I’m normally pretty good on Saturday. But for the last two race weekends, I’ve been struggling to get the tires in the right window.” This limits him over a fast lap.
In the race, on the other hand, there was nothing to complain about. Fourth place with a one-stop strategy was the maximum in Suzuka, emphasizes Leclerc. “It couldn’t have been better and I’m very happy with this Sunday.”
Ferrari team boss Frederic Vasseur has a similar view: “If we have to change anything, it’s on Saturday. Because on Sunday the tire management was good and the pace was okay.”
Leclerc’s performance in qualifying in Japan was also due to the circumstances, says Vasseur. Leclerc did not manage to put in a “mega lap” in the first segment. “We therefore had to use a second set of tires [soft] because we were in a bit of danger. And then you’re in Q3 with just one set of tires.”
This puts a Formula 1 driver “in a bit of a dilemma”, says Vasseur. Because a mistake on the only fast lap in Q3 could easily mean P10 on the grid
Leclerc believes: It’s all a question of the tires
However, it was not only Leclerc who did not perform optimally in qualifying, Ferrari also has room for improvement, says the team boss: His team “did not choose the right approach” for Leclerc.
For Leclerc, it was “one hundred percent” a tire issue. “My laps weren’t actually that bad. But the tires just didn’t give me any grip.”
The mistake was probably on the warm-up lap before the fast lap, says Leclerc. “I did a bad job there, and that’s very frustrating when you’re actually happy with your [fast] lap but then you’re nowhere. So that’s what I have to focus on. “
What Leclerc expects from the data analysis
The preparation of the tires is about “details”, says Leclerc and announces an “intensive data analysis” until the China Grand Prix in Shanghai. He is basically confident: “Every time I have concentrated on something, I have been able to improve quite quickly. That’s why I’m not very worried. But I have to make a step forward in Shanghai.”
Ferrari team boss Vasseur believes in his driver and is “convinced that Charles will strike back soon”, as Leclerc is “a driver who is [always] good in qualifying”. This is proven by Leclerc’s qualifying record in recent months with six times on the front row between Austin 2023 and Sachir 2024. “But of course you can’t be happy if your team-mate is in P4 and you’re in P8,” says Vasseur.
That’s why Leclerc is putting himself under pressure ahead of the fifth Formula 1 race weekend of the 2024 season and “definitely” wants to improve his qualifying pace in Shanghai. He wants to “find the right window [and] refine the handling of the tires” so that he can bring the Pirelli tires “more consistently into the operating window”. “If I can do that,” says Leclerc, “the pace will certainly come back.”
Especially as it was never gone in the race: the successful one-stop strategy in Suzuka showed that Leclerc can basically handle the tires, says Team Principal Vasseur. Compared to the classic two-stop strategy, the variant with just one tire change is “a little more difficult because you have to keep everything under control and resist the temptation to push a little harder”.
Leclerc “did a good job” here, says Vasseur, especially as “two stops while driving freely was the optimum”. But Leclerc assumes that: Even a two-stop strategy would not have changed his race dramatically, but would have produced the same result on balance: P4 behind team-mate Sainz.
Ferrari recognizes real progress with tyres
According to team boss Vasseur, the fact that Ferrari is able to occupy these positions at all is due to the improved tire balance of the Ferrari car. “We are generally handling the tires much better this year and achieved the fastest lap on the last lap in both Jeddah and Melbourne. We almost did the same in Suzuka,” he says.
Ferrari has therefore successfully worked on this “weak point”. “But if we want to get even better, we also have to optimize other areas. And just because it worked on one day doesn’t mean it will automatically work on another day. So we have to remain vigilant. Because the asphalt and weather will be different in China. That will be a new task for us. “
