F1 News: Charles Leclerc Post Austin Sprint - "Need To Understand What We Can Do Better"
Charles Leclerc, despite clinching pole on Friday, settled for a third-place finish in the Austin Sprint Race, falling behind race leader Max Verstappen and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. The Monegasque driver opened up about the crucial moments of the race and his hopes for Sunday's main event.
The initial moments of the Sprint Race proved crucial for Leclerc. Verstappen's aggressive move into the first corner compromised Leclerc's line, making him susceptible to Hamilton's subsequent overtake. Leclerc, however, couldn't reclaim his position from Hamilton throughout the 19-lap race at the Circuit of the Americas.
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In his post-race conversation with David Coulthard, Leclerc reflected on the first corner debacle and Mercedes' impressive pace.
"There was a gap, and I tried. I lost a position to Lewis, and they were quicker, so we need to understand what we can do better tomorrow," expressed Leclerc.
The Ferrari driver's comments hinted at an air of optimism and determination to understand the day's shortcomings and make amends for the Grand Prix.
Leclerc's thoughts on the turn one incident were further expanded upon in the post-Sprint press conference.
"At the end, we have quite a lot of data to analyse after having the two cars on different strategies, so I hope we can take advantage of that and win tomorrow.
"To be honest, I would have done exactly the same if I was in his [Max Verstappen] position. It's on the limit but as I've always said in the past, that's the way I like to fight. Today it didn't play on my way but that's fine. It's part of racing and I'm happy with it."
