Leclerc says shock P1 start was actually ‘suboptimal’

Charles Leclerc may have blasted into the lead at the start of the Australian Grand Prix, but the Ferrari driver insists the launch that stunned Albert Park was far from perfect.

From the outside, it looked like a textbook getaway. Starting fourth on the grid, Leclerc surged past the front row and seized control of the race within seconds. For a brief moment, it seemed Ferrari had pulled off a masterstroke.

But according to the Monegasque driver himself, the reality was far messier.

A Rocket Start – With a Twist

When the lights went out in Melbourne, Leclerc rocketed forward and slipped past Mercedes’ George Russell to grab the lead. The Briton later revealed that his battery had significantly depleted when the lights went off.

Drivers were struggling with energy deployment under the new regulations, and Leclerc says he was hardly immune.

“I think we all had the same problem for some reason,” he explained when asked about the start.

“This is something we’ve got to review because also my battery was very, very low for some reason, probably a bit higher than them, which helped me to get in the front, but very suboptimal anyway.”

In other words, Leclerc didn’t necessarily launch better than everyone else – he simply suffered less than they did.

The Ferrari driver even admitted he expected to lose places when the lights went out.

“I thought I would end up P8, P9, but then I started and I saw everybody had issues and I had the one with the least issues, which at the end is what counts, but there’s a lot of margin to improve those starts.

“It was very suboptimal, I think, for everybody.”

Chaos at Lights Out

The confusion wasn’t entirely unexpected. With Formula 1’s new generation of power units placing greater emphasis on electrical deployment, drivers are walking an incredibly fine line when managing their systems during the start procedure.

Leclerc suggested the razor-thin margins, combined with the rapid start-light sequence, caught several teams off guard.

“We kind of expected a messy start, and then I think on top of that as well, we are such on a fine line before getting everything right on the PUIs and the lights off very, very, very quick,” he said.

“I think it surprised on top of that everybody and made it even more critical, so it was kind of crazy.”

The chaotic start helped Leclerc briefly take command of the race and engage in a tense early duel with Russell.

But Ferrari’s hopes of victory later slipped away after Mercedes capitalized on strategy during virtual safety car periods, eventually securing a one-two finish.

No Regrets Over Ferrari Strategy

While team-mate Lewis Hamilton questioned Ferrari’s pit decisions over the radio, Leclerc insists the team’s approach made sense at the time.

“I mean, I don’t regret it,” he said. “It was a wanted and conscious choice. Looking at from FP1 to now, there’s been at every session a car that was stopped, at least one car.”

Ferrari gambled that more interruptions would occur – allowing them to pit at a better moment.

“We knew that there were very high chances that this was not going to be the only VSC of the race, and so we thought that it was better for us to maybe wait for another one, and that’s always a gamble.”

Incredibly, that opportunity did arrive. Another virtual safety car followed when Valtteri Bottas’ Cadillac stopped on track – but Ferrari couldn’t take advantage because the pitlane entry was suddenly closed.

“Of course, we didn’t know that this would happen,” Leclerc explained.

“Reality is we’ve had other VSC after, and one which was particularly well placed, but unfortunately for this one, for us, the pit entry was closed and we couldn’t take it.”

“So, we were a little bit unlucky on that side, but it was a conscious choice again, and I don’t really regret it.”

In the end, Leclerc’s “suboptimal” launch delivered an early highlight – but even that blistering start wasn’t enough to stop Mercedes from taking control of the season opener all the way to the checkered flag.

Read also: Vasseur insists strategy not to blame for Ferrari loss in Aussie GP

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