Charles Leclerc reveals true reason behind 'aggressive' US GP decision

Charles Leclerc has revealed the true reason behind Ferrari's "aggressive" strategy in the United States Grand Prix, which featured the bold decision to start on used soft tyres. 

The Monegasque was the only driver on the grid to start on used softs, with the vast majority having opted for a set of new mediums. This was due to F1 tyre supplier Pirelli forecasting a one-stop race, featuring a medium-hard strategy. 

Leclerc tried the C1 hard tyre during the only practice session at the Circuit of the Americas and quickly decided at the time that he did not want to use it in the race, leading to a different approach.

He made a strong start on the used softs and overtook Lando Norris for second, before remaining ahead of the McLaren driver for much of the race. 

Towards the end of Leclerc's first stint, he was overtaken by the Briton, before diving into the pits a lap later for new medium tyres to perform a successful undercut. 

While Leclerc's second stint was on new mediums, most others switched to softs due to the concerns surrounding the hard compound. Unfortunately for Ferrari, Norris found his way past Leclerc again in the closing laps, although the 28-year-old held on to finish in third.

It marked a successful gamble by the Maranello-based squad to start Leclerc on the soft tyres, although the driver had hoped to also be ahead of race winner Max Verstappen at Turn 1.

"I knew it was an aggressive strategy," said Leclerc. "My plan was to be first after the first corner. I didn’t quite make that, but at least I gained a position, which helped me a little bit with free air. 

"And that definitely helped our race. Again, I knew it was aggressive but considering the feeling I had on the Hard in FP1, I was quite convinced I didn’t want to touch that tyre. 

"So yeah, I was just a little bit worried when my engineer got on the radio on the grid and I was the only car on Softs, basically. 

"So I thought, 'OK, maybe there's something I didn’t feel right.' But in the end, it ended up a good choice."