Full throttle like in Formula 1 fueling time

Charles Leclerc says he “loves” the new Formula 1 sprint format and enjoyed being able to push the full 17-lap distance.

The Ferrari driver revealed that the start of the short Silverstone event with a lighter fuel charge, and therefore a more maneuverable car, reminded him of the sport’s refueling time than drivers could recharge between pit stops.

Leclerc qualified fourth and then maintained his position throughout the sprint, aided by the fact that the fast-starting Fernando Alonso initially held the McLarens of Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo. He will start the Grand Prix on Sunday from fourth place.

“That’s a big, big difference,” said Leclerc when asked by Motorsport.com about the lower weight at the start.

“It’s very nice. I prefer to drive in these conditions, it makes me think a little about refueling because it feels very good and I think these tires are in a much better window for racing too and it leaves us push a lot more.

“Unfortunately, we are usually not used to giving full throttle for seventeen laps, so it feels good to push for 17 laps.”

Leclerc’s thoughts were echoed by Silverstone sprint winner Max Verstappen.

“I think at the beginning it was nice that you start this race with less fuel,” said the Red Bull driver.

“So of course the cars are faster and you like that and the car is a little livelier. That was fun compared to a heavy car and everything and it’s slow at the beginning, so I sure enjoyed it. “

Leclerc also appreciated the fact that the Fridays have become more demanding, with a single practice session followed by qualifying.

“To be honest, I loved it,” said the Monegasque driver. “I like this format very much at the moment, because in some races there won’t be a lot of action in sprint qualifying, but at least it makes it exciting for every day.

“I’m usually so bored in the car on Friday, yesterday it felt a little more exciting and there was a bit more to win to get straight out of the pits in FP1 to be ready for qualifying.

“The sprint qualifying is cool, you can push 17 laps in a row, but what I enjoy most is the change on Friday. Qualifying on Friday makes it much more exciting for us drivers. “

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On Thursday, Leclerc suggested that the new schedule could play to Ferrari’s strengths as the Italian team usually arrives on a track with a near-optimal set-up that requires few changes.

“Yes exactly, we are always very good, actually I didn’t even change the car yesterday from free practice to qualifying, the car felt good and that’s why I said ‘I hope we will use that’ and I think we have made this weekend. “

When asked how often the Sprint format should be used in 2022, he said, “I don’t know, I think it’s still quite early to make a decision now because we’ve only made one and we have didn’t even make the main race tomorrow, even if it won’t change my mind.

“But with other tracks we have to wait and see whether it makes sense to increase the number or not. So let’s wait and see. “