Charles Leclerc has insisted he won't take part in a Thursday Grand Prix tradition anymore after a rule change was introduced by Formula 1. Drivers usually take to the track on Thursdays for a track walk with their mechanics to get a look at the circuit and see any potential changes that have been made since the last race at the venue, which have been quite extensive at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit as RacingNews365 found out in October 2022. Some drivers, including Max Verstappen are not fans of the track walk and rarely take part, with others such as Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris and Leclerc seen out on a Thursday. To save a bit of time, some drivers use a bicycle or electric scooter to complete their reconnaissance - but this has now been stopped.
Effective immediately
With the new rule restricting track walks to actually walking the track, Leclerc told media including RacingNews365 that he would not be doing a track walk again. "I did a walk around, and I think they've just issued a new thing where we cannot go around the track with bicycles anymore," the Monegasque, who is carrying a 10-place grid penalty into the race , explained. "So you probably won't see me around the track anymore [on a Thursday] and I'll probably just watch the videos!" The rule is a decree from F1 themselves and not the FIA as the former is responsible for what happens on track between sessions. There are no exceptions to the new rule.
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