Charles Leclerc’s strong initial pace in the Las Vegas Grand Prix could have cost him a better result: Ferrari with tire problems
Charles Leclerc experienced a race of ups and downs in the Las Vegas Grand Prix. After an initially strong start that saw him move up from fourth on the grid to second, he looked almost like the top favorite for victory at the start of the race, because: Leclerc was able to work his way into the DRS window of Mercedes driver George Russell and almost overtook the eventual race winner for the lead of the race before turn 14.
But Leclerc’s aggressive approach may have ultimately cost him the race. His Ferrari SF-24 suffered from severe graining, especially on the medium tires in the first stint: “From one turn to the next, I suddenly lost three seconds per lap. That was absolutely crazy,” said Leclerc, who was the first of the top drivers to come into the pits as a result.
Vasseur: Leclerc’s early attack ‘destroyed everything’
The early tire problem cost Leclerc not only time, but also valuable positions in the fight for the podium. Team boss Frederic Vasseur explains that the high loads on the mediums were crucial: “Charles tried to attack Russell, but that destroyed everything. We lost ten seconds in a few laps.”
Ferrari had to adapt their strategy, which, according to Vasseur, was “an extremely difficult situation” and ultimately only earned Leclerc fourth place. With the hard tires, Leclerc’s pace stabilized: “The balance was significantly better, and I felt competitive again in the second stint,” explains the Monegasque.
Although Mercedes remained out of reach, Leclerc is satisfied given the difficult early phase: “After the first stint, I would have taken fourth place immediately.” However, he emphasizes that the conditions on the track made the tire problems even more difficult: “The wind worsened the graining in the middle sector and made overtaking even more difficult.”
Leclerc: Underestimated Mercedes pace
Before the race weekend, Ferrari was considered the big favorite for the race in Las Vegas, as the long straights and slow corners suit the car’s strengths. However, qualifying already showed that the SF-24 struggles with the tires in the cold temperatures.
While it was almost impossible to warm up the tires in qualifying, the SF-24 had significantly more graining problems than Mercedes in the race, even though the temperatures on race day were six degrees higher than on the previous days of training.
In the fight for the Constructors’ Championship against McLaren, Ferrari has closed the gap with third and fourth places for Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc. With two race weekends to go, McLaren is only 24 points ahead, but according to Leclerc, more ground could have been made up in Las Vegas: “I think we expected to be stronger than they were, which was the case. But we didn’t expect Mercedes to be so strong. So maybe Mercedes is more of an outlier.”
Difficult outlook for Qatar
Leclerc is skeptical about the remaining races, but sees the next race in Qatar as a major challenge in the fight for the championship: “In Qatar, they [McLaren] will be very strong. I would be surprised if we can catch up on points there, but we have to do our best.”
The desert circuit features a mix of medium-fast and fast corners, which tend to favor McLaren, although Red Bull and Mercedes also perform well at this type of track. Ferrari has struggled this year at similar circuits like Silverstone and Hungary.