P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Leclerc: No answer for "once in a season" Japan F1 qualifying struggle
Charles Leclerc, a renowned driver known for his impressive one-lap pace, found himself in only eighth place during qualifying, trailing polesitter Max Verstappen by 0.589 seconds. His outgoing Scuderia Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz fared better, securing fourth position. Leclerc struggled to explain his disappointing performance, attributing it as a rare occurrence that happens “once in a season,” despite feeling that the SF-24 car was fundamentally solid. Despite the lackluster qualifying result, Leclerc remains optimistic about Ferrari’s race pace and believes improvements can be made. The Monegasque driver expressed frustration with his qualifying strategy, which saw him out of sync with track evolution, ultimately leaving him in a subpar position for the race start. Looking ahead, Leclerc and Ferrari aim to analyze their performance to address the challenges encountered during the qualifying session and strive for a stronger showing in the upcoming races.
