Why Leclerc won't change driving style after Miami mistake

Charles Leclerc does not plan to change his driving style after spinning out of qualifying over the Miami Grand Prix weekend.

The Monegasque brought out the red flags following his crash in Q3 and admitted later that he was "angry" with himself for making the "same mistake" that he had made during Free Practice on Friday.

Leclerc's incident drew criticism from some, with Martin Brundle calling for the Ferrari driver to "stop making so many mistakes", adding: "I think he drives absolutely to the ragged edge of the limit and it keeps catching him out."

However, when asked on Saturday in Miami if he needed to alter his driving style, Leclerc told media, including RacingNews365.com: "No, I don't think so."

Miami error caused by a 'step too far'

While Leclerc admits that he may need to manage his style in a different way during Q3 sessions, he believes that his mistake at the Miami International Autodrome was more a consequence of adopting an "aggressive" set-up.

"I obviously need to, in those weekends especially, just manage it differently in Q3," Leclerc continued.

"But, at the end, it's like this. I think I put myself also in a difficult situation because I wanted a very aggressive set-up for qualifying. Knowing that this was the set-up, I will need to extract the most out of the car.

"I probably did a step too far, and this is something I'll look at."

Leclerc 'taking a lot of risk'

Leclerc is known for his strong performances in qualifying, having achieved more pole positions than any other driver during the 2022 F1 season.

When quizzed on whether his one-lap pace goes hand-in-hand with an element of risk, the 25-year-old acknowledged that he has been pushing himself a lot in Q3, particularly given Ferrari's deficit to Red Bull.

"I know that, in Q3, I am obviously taking quite a lot of risk," Leclerc explained.

"When I look at Baku, honestly, yes it is a mistake, but [on the] second lap I knew that the tyres were overheated, so it's not the same.

"These mistakes [in Miami], I am much more angry with myself compared to Baku, where I think I managed really well the weekend overall.

"[I am] very, very angry with myself. I think it comes from [the fact that], on one side, I am taking a lot of risks in Q3 to try and do something special, because I know we are behind Red Bull at the moment.

"But also, I think what [was] taking the upper hand [in Miami] is that I have a very aggressive set-up."

After starting the race from P7 on the grid, Leclerc went on to finish the event in the same position.