Charles Leclerc bashes the SF-23 for proving too ‘difficult to drive’ after Q3 crash at Zandvoort
Charles Leclerc is not pleased with the unpredictable nature of the 2023 Ferrari F1 car.
Follow Us
Charles Leclerc (via IMAGO)
Charles Leclerc came into the second leg of the campaign high on hopes of hitting the ground running straightway; however, to his surprise, the SF-23 has proved too difficult to drive for him at the Zandvoort F1 circuit, and after yesterday’s crash, he has brutally ripped into the drivability of the Ferrari car.
Leclerc and Carlos Sainz were seen facing a lot of problems during yesterday’s Free Practice 3 session and also the all-important qualifying session. While the latter was able to put in a good enough lap for P6 during quali, Leclerc’s outing was brought to an early end after he put his car into the barriers during the Q3 session.
The Monegasque driver is extremely distraught with how things have panned out for him so far at the Dutch Grand Prix, and while talking about the same during the post-quali interviews, he told racingnews365, “It’s one of those weekends where the car is extremely difficult to drive.”
“Turns 9 and 10 are corners where you go into the corner as you are releasing the brake – there’s absolutely no grip in the corner for whatever reason. Then you’re just trusting the car to grip again in the exit, which it didn’t on that lap and I ended up in the wall.” Leclerc is gutted with his qualifying crash.
Charles Leclerc feels he can’t trust the SF-23, especially when going into corners
While Charles Leclerc is not pleased with his outing at the Zandvoort circuit, he has especially put a lot of emphasis on the turning ability of the SF-23. He further said, “But at the moment, I’m getting into the corner and I have zero idea whether I’m going to have huge understeer or huge oversteer. And that makes it very, very difficult for us.”
Leclerc is starting the Dutch GP from a disappointing P9 on the grid, and considering the problems that he has been facing so far at Zandvoort, he is going to face an uphill battle at the upcoming race. Moreover, he would be pressured by the lights of Logan Sargeant and Lewis Hamilton, who are starting behind him.
The Dutch GP is expected to be run under mixed weather conditions, and as per several pundits, it could prove to be a tricky race for the 20 Formula 1 drivers. Charles Leclerc has the caliber to make his way up on the grid, but it would be fascinating to see whether the SF-23 would work as he expected.
In case you missed it:
- Toto Wolff cannot believe the ‘huge’ performance gap between Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez
- Alex Albon ecstatic after scoring second-row start to Dutch GP for Williams, claims Zandvoort is a ‘confidence circuit’
Stay Updated!
Rishabh Negi
(3244 Articles Published)