“Clever racing can make a big difference,” Charles Leclerc suggests there could be more DRS chickening in Australian GP

“Clever racing can make a big difference,” Charles Leclerc suggests there could be more DRS chickening in Australian GP

Charles Leclerc

With Charles Leclerc leading the charge with a fantastic start to the season, the Scuderia seem to be favourites to win the 2022 title. Along with Carlos Sainz Ferrari lead the Constructors championship after the first two races. Both the drivers have finished on the podium of the first two races, with Leclerc claiming victory in the season opener in Bahrain. The Monagesque also claimed the fastest laps in the two races and leads the driver’s standings as well.

Although it was Red Bull’s Max Verstappen who claimed the victory in the 2022 Saudi Arabian GP, Leclerc managed to give a tough fight after leading the race for the majority of the laps. The Dutchman managed to just scrape through with a narrow half a second margin.

As the two resume their rivalry on the new racetrack at Albert Park, Charles Leclerc is certain that the mind games and DRS ‘chickening’ tactics won’t be lost. And with 4 DRS zones on the racetrack, the racing could be closer than ever.

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Charles Leclerc on the new Australian GP track:“The previous layout was better”

Red Bull and Ferrari
Red Bull and Ferrari

Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc went wheel-to-wheel in the Bahrain Grand Prix, where Leclerc managed to fend off the Dutchman by ceding his position and gaining it back in the next DRS zone. Max, aware of this tactic, decided to play it back when the two fuelled again in Jeddah and got the better of the Ferrari driver. This new style of DRS ‘chickening’ has caught the attention and is becoming pretty evident in 2022’s first few races with the new cars’ improved ability to follow on straights.

On the return back to Australia, Leclerc said, “Overall the track characteristics here are not fitting very well with our [car], but everything is to play for. The new Albert Park is a much, much faster track than the old one. For us, the previous layout was better. We need to optimise the package and do our best. We hope that Imola can adapt better to our car.”

Regarding the DRS battles, he said, “We have seen in the past two races this strategy with DRS, and I am pretty sure we will see it even more here because basically, all the straights have a DRS zone, so overtaking will be a thing and clever racing can make a big difference here.”

After a 3 year hiatus, Formula One finally returns to the ‘Land Down-Under’ for the Australian GP. With 4 DRS zones and a faster track, drivers will be enjoying the challenge of the new layout. With the new age cars’ ability to follow closely, fans will be treated to more on-track battles like the Ferrari Vs Red Bull battle in the first two races.

Also Read: Australian GP: Drivers to face a thrilling challenge with 4 DRS…