Leclerc frustrated as "aggressive set-up" strategy fails in Miami GP Qualifying

Ferrari star Charles Leclerc expressed deep frustration after crashing out of the 2023 Miami Grand Prix qualifying session.

The talented driver, who had two accidents in consecutive days at the Miami International Autodrome, admitted that he took too many risks in pursuit of a competitive edge against Red Bull.

Leclerc stated, "I’m very disappointed with myself – same mistake as yesterday in the same corner."

With challenging conditions and gusting winds, the Monaco-born driver acknowledged that his choice of a high-risk set-up strategy may have played a part in the outcome.

A risky strategy that failed to deliver

Leclerc's aggressive approach had its roots in his determination to make the most of his strengths in qualifying.

He explained, "I know that qualifying is my strong point and obviously I am taking more risks in Q3. That pays off nine times out of ten."

"But obviously this is a weekend where twice I put it in the wall and this is just not the level where I want to be."

However, the relentless racer did not shy away from admitting that he may have pushed the limits too far.

Leclerc confessed, "I put myself also in a difficult situation because I wanted a very aggressive set-up for qualifying, knowing that this was a 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 after the weekend."

Looking Ahead

Despite a similar crash in Baku City Circuit during one of the qualifying sessions, Leclerc expressed greater anger at his mistakes in Miami.

He said, "These mistakes this weekend I am much more angry with myself compared to Baku where I think I managed really well the weekend overall."

Leclerc remains hopeful that his aggressive set-up will yield better results in the race itself.

Leclerc added, "I know it, I hope it will pay off in the race for us but in qualifying it was too much."