Charles really learns and adapts quickly. He mentioned in China that the strategy of taking it easier in Q1 and 2 wasn't helpful for the deployment in Q3.
I honestly thought he might just steal Pole today.
https://x.com/fiagirly/status/203779675 ... 55/photo/1“I was feeling pretty decent [in the car], it just we’re not very quick, I mean, compared to the guys, the Mercedes and a little bit of the McLaren.”
“My first lap I was up and then I lost two and a half tenths just on the straights. I had a snap, it changed the deployment and then that was it. If we didn’t have that problem I probably would have finished 4th.”
“Other than that it’s just the way it is, deployment situations.”
https://x.com/thomasmaheronf1/status/20 ... 5311423851Following on from labelling the rules "a f**king joke" at the end of qualifying, a calmer Charles Leclerc has elucidated on what he meant.
“In Q3, that’s where you want to get out on the track and try things you’ve never tried before, taking risks that you’ve never taken before,” he said.
“That’s been rewarding for most of us in all our careers, and now this is not possible anymore.
“Every time you go a little bit over the limit, anytime you have a bit of a snap, this is costing energy on the power unit side, and then you pay the price more.
“So I feel like, at the moment, consistency is paying off more than being brave and going to take something that you’ve never tried before, which is a shame, and which makes qualifying a little bit less challenging, and this is something that we need to work on, but it’s a known issue.
“It’s not that, I think, the FIA or the teams are just accepting the situation as it is. There’s a lot of work behind the scenes, and I hope that we can find a solution.”
Ferrari should take the same approach as redbull. Ignore the lack lustre 2nd driver and focus all their energy on Charles. He has more chance of a good championship finishing position than Hamilton.
So we’ve got to the stage of hitting on Hamilton after one mediocre Q. No surprise, given it’s the same poster on here who signed up two weeks ago, but was under a rock last week when Leclerc was outperformed.
You dont throw a driver under the bus just so the other guy can get 'a better championship finishing position'. You only do that when the title is on the line and you cant spare any points whatsoever. And it should go without saying that Ferrari are not in the title fight this year.
And by 1 tenth on the sessions.
It's not that at all. Deployment is automatic, but it also automatically learns when to deploy based on previous driver inputs.Xyz22 wrote: ↑28 Mar 2026, 12:12The drivers are clearly asking too much from the tyres in order to compensate for the lackluster Power Unit. This lead to mistakes and even worse performance in the straights. Nothing they can do right now, really. They need a significantly better PU. This was the fist time in ages the car performed well in Suzuka S1.
McLaren had a steering wheel paddle like this in 2008, limited torque or something similar. Either way, the drivers could hold it in and press full throttle immediately on corner exit.Farnborough wrote: ↑28 Mar 2026, 12:59Maybe Ferrari can design a rear wheel "thumb" brake (on rear friction disc calipers) in fashion of Honda style for Mick Doohan when his right foot was accident damaged.
The effect of which was to not close the throttle as a torque peak flare came on those potent two stroke motors. As it started to break traction, and risk a high side accident as collateral damage, he anticipated and squeezed rear brake control on to "muffle" that characteristic and prevent rear wheel spin flaring, while holding throttle pinned open![]()