"I have been struggling massively with the tires" - Charles Leclerc not satisfied with his performance despite finishing P3 at 2022 F1 Hungarian GP qualifying

Charles Leclerc at the F1 Grand Prix of Hungary - Final Practice
Charles Leclerc at the F1 Grand Prix of Hungary - Final Practice

In a tricky qualifying session ahead of the 2022 Hungarian Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc set the third-fastest lap time overall and will be starting Sunday's race behind his teammate Carlos Sainz and George Russell who secured his maiden pole position today.

In a post-qualifying media interaction, Leclerc admitted that he was unable to match the pace of his teammate as a result of his struggles with the tires. He said:

“I mean, mostly we are focusing on ourselves. Today has not been a great day and I have been struggled massively with the tyres and I have had inconsistency getting the tyres in the right window. So I struggled to put a lap together. We will look into it...hopefully we will have a better Sunday. The pace is there so we just need to understand what went on with the tyres today, and I am pretty sure we can come back tomorrow.

The Monegasque will be looking to maximize his points this weekend, especially since his main title rival Max Verstappen will be starting the race in P10.


Charles Leclerc says he will stick to his exciting driving style despite French GP errors

Despite comfortably leading the French Grand Prix from pole last weekend, Charles Leclerc missed out on significant points after making a mistake that put him in the barriers.

As reported by F1.com, when asked if he intended to modify his approach or driving style in the upcoming races, the Ferrari driver admitted that it is his driving style that has always given him an "edge". He said:

“No, because I think that’s what gave me the edge in most of the races this year in a way that I felt very good with the car. At the beginning of the year I didn’t really know how to manage it that well on some tracks, like in Miami I struggled massively in the race, but overall, I felt I got better and better with it.”

He continued:

“It’s definitely something that I want to keep for sure, because there are loads of benefits of having it. The downside that comes with it is that it's much more difficult to drive, but in the end I’m a racing driver and I need to be able to drive a car that is a bit more oversteery – which I do – but this time I pushed a bit too much in that lap and paid the price for it.”

Charles Leclerc currently has a 63-point deficit against championship leader Max Verstappen in the Driver Standings. The Dutchman will be starting the upcoming Hungarian Grand Prix in tenth place after struggling with DRS issues throughout Q3 in Saturday's qualifying session, while his teammate Sergio Perez will be starting the race behind him in eleventh place.

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