How Is Charles Leclerc’s Driving Style Similar to Max Verstappen’s? Why Does the Ferrari Driver Crash So Often?

Charles Leclerc holds an F1 record that he would rather not. He now has the most number of pole positions without a championship to show for it. There’s no doubt that Leclerc is a great qualifier just like Max Verstappen. If you put the Dutchman and the Monegasque in the same car and send them into a qualifying session, it will be almost impossible to tell who’ll come out on top. But that’s only because they have a very similar driving style.

Both of them like their car to have a strong front end, meaning that the car needs to be extremely pointy, almost oversteery to the point that they are willing to deal with a little bit of loose rear end. But if their driving styles and preferences are so similar, why is it that we see Charles Leclerc crash way more often as compared to Max Verstappen? The answer to this question lies in the characteristics of the car itself.

The main reason why Charles Leclerc crashes so often in qualifying

While there’s no doubt Max and Charles like their car super pointy, allowing them to throw the car into the corner and make up the time lost in braking early by accelerating way quicker out of the corner, Max actually has better machinery underneath him 9 out of the 10 times. This is especially true since the ground-effect era began in 2022.

In the case of Verstappen, the rear end of the Red Bull doesn’t react as much even when the car is super oversteery. On the other hand, the Ferrari is not so friendly to Leclerc, which often catches him out since he is always at 110% during qualifying. While he is a master at controlling the rear end with the oversteer, the rear of the Ferrari just steps out more often than the Red Bull, leading to more crashes for Leclerc.

In a recent conversation, Alex Albon, who has been teammates with Max Verstappen, explained that although he also prefers oversteer, the level of pointiness Verstappen wants is extreme, similar to Leclerc. Which is why the second driver always struggles to be on the level of the Dutchman. However, Carlos Sainz, on the other hand, despite having an opposite preference to Leclerc, manages to find a balance in the setup that allows him to be much closer to his teammate.

READ MORE: Alex Albon Tipped to Replace Carlos Sainz if Ferrari Fail to Renew Spaniard’s Contract in Time

Despite being a good qualifier, Leclerc’s lack of wins to go with his number of pole positions leaves the community somewhat scratching their heads.

Ferrari’s tire degradation is also a big nightmare for Leclerc

Poor tire degradation has been one of the persistent issues with the Scuderia for a few years. This is evident by the fact that Charles Leclerc hardly manages to convert his pole positions into race wins. On the other hand, Max Verstappen’s has an excellent conversion rate.

Despite Red Bull’s sheer dominance, Leclerc took 4 pole positions in 2023, but no wins to show for it. It’s because he has to go out of his way to shift to a smoother driving style which is naturally against his instincts. However, his adaptability is still commendable. At this point, Leclerc’s pole-to-win ratio has practically become a meme in the F1 community.

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Do you think Ferrari will be able to give Charles Leclerc a better car in 2024? Share your insights and predictions in the comments down below.