What the Ferrari driver said
“The first laps in Australia were a lot of fun, but I think that soon we will all understand how to best optimize battery management and at that point overtaking could prove complicated to the point that what we saw in Australia at the start of the race will be missed”. On the eve of the Chinese GP Charles Leclerc analyzed what happened a few days ago in Melbourne, a race which saw the Ferrari driver maintain the lead after an excellent start. Leclerc responded blow for blow to Russell’s attacks, who then followed a different strategy by stopping under the Virtual Safety Car.
Regarding Ferrari’s advantage at the start, Leclerc believes that it is an advantage that will not last long: “I think it’s easier for us to get the car into a good window to have a good starting point, while for Mercedes this aspect is more complicated, but I think that in a few weekends they will understand how to resolve this situation in a few races there won’t be much difference between the cars when the GPs start“.
If Mercedes has to sort out the starts, Ferrari has to close a gap that is currently not insignificant towards the W17. Leclerc expects not to pay eight tenths again in Qualifying: “I think the gap is not representative because we were really far from our potential in Melbourne – added Leclerc – I expect to be closer in Qualifying and even closer in the race“.
