Ferrari Formula 1 driver Charles Leclerc is seeking an “answer” to the one-lap struggles that saw him slump to eighth place in qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix.
Despite winding up less than sixth-tenths from Max Verstappen’s pole position time, Leclerc ended up four places behind team-mate Carlos Sainz on the fourth row.
Leclerc had been on a run of seven consecutive front-row appearances prior to Australia, when car balance issues contributed to him missing out on an eventual win.
However, the Monegasque denied that the two weekends are comparable, instead attributing his woes to being one of those rare incidences that occur each season.
“It’s one of those sessions maybe you get it once in a season. But it’s definitely not a good feeling,” he told Sky F1.
“Everything feels okay, the balance is not way off – we can always improve a little bit like every qualifying.
“If I rely on the feeling at the end of the lap, I’m like, ‘OK, this is quite a good lap’. And then you look at the [leader] board and you are a second off.
“So, when this happens, normally we look more at tyres and the way you bring the tyres to temperature. I’ve tried many different things today and it didn’t work.”
Leclerc conceded that he was unable to pinpoint a reason for his deficit, but he was hopeful that Ferrari’s stronger race pace will help him climb the order tomorrow.
“Any of the things I’ve tried [didn’t work]. So, for now, I don’t have the answer,” he continued.
“However, the positive thing, if we have to find one, is that our race pace looks a bit stronger.
“But on a track like this, qualifying position is extremely important. Today, we didn’t do a good job.”
Leclerc was afforded a single run in Q3 due to a subpar first lap in Q1 that saw Ferrari send him out again to avoid elimination, losing him a set of the Soft compound.
Ferrari would elect to allow him to complete his sole lap in the pole shootout in between his rivals’ two runs, but Leclerc denied that choice hampered his prospects.
When asked whether running later in the session with improved track evolution would have helped, Leclerc replied: “Not many people improved… I really don’t think so.
“From Q1 to Q3, it hasn’t been a strong session. Already the first lap in Q1 I was like, ‘The feeling is quite OK’.
“So, normally when it is the case, the time comes with it. Today, it has been completely the opposite. So, we’ve got to look into it.”
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