Charles Leclerc highlights personal 'risk' disadvantage with new F1 car

Charles Leclerc has admitted he can no longer take a “risk” during a qualifying lap, which aided his route to strong results in the past.

Leclerc has long been known as one of the grid's strongest qualifiers and currently has 27 pole positions to his name, trailing only Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen in the current field.

His willingness to push the car to its limits in qualifying positioned him as one of the most exciting drivers to watch over a single lap.

However, with the new-for-2026 cars, the drivers are having to command them in a much different way than in the past and it is no longer about simply pushing the challenger to the limit.

As a result, Leclerc feels he has lost one of his strengths as a driver.

“It’s a lot down to understanding these new cars,” Leclerc told media including RacingNews365.

“They are very strange in qualifying, because in the past one of my strengths coming into Q3, I was just taking massive risks to get something out more.

“And, now when you do that, you start confusing the engine side of things, and you start losing a lot more than what you gain.”

At the opening two rounds of the year, Leclerc placed himself fourth on the grid.

Explaining the new approach required in qualifying, Leclerc said: “Consistency pays off more.

“[In China] I felt like I just found my rhythm from Q1 to Q3, which is a bit less exciting for Q3 when you are in the car, because you can’t push like you want.

“At the end of the day, it paid off because I’m closer to the guys in front. But it was not a crazy lap, unfortunately, but you can't really achieve that anymore.”