Over-enthusiastic Leclerc admits he needs to 'calm down'

40

Sauber rookie Charles Leclerc admits he needs to rein in his impetuosity following his botched qualifying session Saturday in Bahrain.

The highly rated Ferrari junior fell victim to his own misjudgment in the grid-defining evening session which he ended 19th, two spots behind team mate Marcus Ericsson, after a spin at the final corner.

"I was already pushing way too much from the beginning of the lap," Leclerc told Motorsport.com.

"I could feel the rears were starting to give up corner after corner and at the end I just overheated them massively and spun.

"It was an accumulation over the whole lap and at the end it was just not possible to drive on them."

Bahrain Speed Trap: Who is the fastest of them all?

Leclerc believes he needs a better understanding of the behavior of his Sauber C37, and subsequently of its limits.

"The balance of the car was not quite how I wanted it to be, but I think that I still have some work to do in adapting to this type of car, "he said

"In particular, I have to learn how to drive with more understeer, which I am struggling with a bit at the moment.

"Pushing too much is not always a good thing to do and at the moment this is my problem. I just need to calm down a little bit."

"In the end it was a bit frustrating, but I will definitely learn from this experience and I will do my best to come back stronger in tomorrow’s race.

"The pace we showed yesterday is promising, so it will be important to make a good start and to recover positions."

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.