Although Red Bull Racing star Max Verstappen reported problems on Friday training in Miami, Ferrari star Charles Leclerc is counting on the Formula 1 champion. He also has a strong opinion of Mercedes.
Charles Leclerc was able to look forward to a successful start to the Miami weekend. He was the fastest in the first practice session, and in the second session he was second behind George Russell. The Ferrari star was just under a tenth off the Briton’s best time of the day. His balance was correspondingly positive.
“The track conditions changed a lot throughout the day and the tarmac was unusual, very different from what we’ve seen before. As soon as you drive off the track, you slide like crazy. Every mistake, no matter how small, is costly,” said Monegasse, adding hastily: “The whole weekend and the race will be a challenge, but we got off to a good start.”
At the same time, the ambitious world championship leader demanded: “We definitely have to take a step forward and try to improve driving so that we can have a strong Saturday.” And he predicted: “The power density is higher than in the previous season, so it should be exciting.”
When asked about his main opponents and the problems of his rival Max Verstappen, Leclerc then explained: “Max will certainly be quick as soon as they have solved the problems. The big surprise at the moment is Mercedes, they also cut a fine figure with a lot of fuel on board. It would be great if they could fight with Red Bull Racing and us at the front.”
2. Training, Miami
01. George Russell (GB), Mercedes, 1:29,938 min
02. Charles Leclerc (MC), Ferrari, 1:30,044
03. Sergio Perez (MEX), Red Bull Racing, 1:30.150
04. Lewis Hamilton (GB), Mercedes, 1:30,179
05. Fernando Alonso (E), Alpine, 1: 30,372
06. Lando Norris (GB), McLaren, 1: 30,535
07. Pierre Gasly (F), AlphaTauri, 1:30,547
08. Guanyu Zhou (RC), Alfa Romeo, 1:30,860
09. Esteban Ocon (F), Alpine, 1:30,861
10. Kevin Magnussen (DK), Haas, 1: 30,921
11. Carlos Sainz (E), Ferrari, 1:30.964
12. Daniel Ricciardo (AUS), McLaren, 1:31.208
13. Yuki Tsunoda (J), AlphaTauri, 1: 31,260
14. Sebastian Vettel (D), Aston Martin, 1:31,393
15. Mick Schumacher (D), Haas, 1:31,587
16. Lance Stroll (CDN), Aston Martin, 1:31,631
17. Alexander Albon (T), Williams, 1:31,710
18. Nicholas Latifi (CDN), Williams, 1:32,913
19. Max Verstappen (NL), Red Bull Racing, no time
Not in action: Valtteri Bottas (FIN), Alfa Romeo
1. Training, Miami
01. Charles Leclerc (MC), Ferrari, 1:31,098 min
02. George Russell (GB), Mercedes, 1:31,169
03. Max Verstappen (NL), Red Bull Racing, 1:31,277
04. Sergio Perez (MEX), Red Bull Racing, 1:31.301
05. Pierre Gasly (F), AlphaTauri, 1:31,498
06. Carlos Sainz (E), Ferrari, 1:31.528
07. Alexander Albon (T), Williams, 1:31,854
08. Lewis Hamilton (GB), Mercedes, 1:31,956
09. Kevin Magnussen (DK), Haas, 1: 32,559
10. Daniel Ricciardo (AUS), McLaren, 1:32.592
11. Lando Norris (GB), McLaren, 1: 32,615
12. Fernando Alonso (E), Alpine, 1: 32,884
13. Guanyu Zhou (RC), Alfa Romeo, 1:33,020
14. Sebastian Vettel (D), Aston Martin, 1:33,024
15. Esteban Ocon (F), Alpine, 1:33,417
16. Lance Stroll (CDN), Aston Martin, 1:33,576
17. Valtteri Bottas (FIN), Alfa Romeo, 1: 33,773
18. Yuki Tsunoda (J), AlphaTauri, 1: 34,043
19. Mick Schumacher (D), Haas, 1:34,945
20. Nicholas Latifi (CDN), Williams, 1:35,637