Charles Leclerc no longer understands the Ferrari world. © APA/afp / PHILIP FONG

Leclerc loses his temper: "This is a joke!"

Charles Leclerc is not usually known for his emotional outbursts. But after qualifying on Saturday, even the Ferrari star lost his temper.

March 28, 2026

From: never

Sure, fourth place could be worse. Nevertheless, the final qualifying result for the Japanese Grand Prix left Leclerc extremely frustrated. The Monegasque driver was a full 0,627 seconds behind polesitter Kimi Antonelli. – and that despite fantastic times in the twisty first sector.

“There are things I don’t understand. I’m doing everything the same as always, but nothing works,” Leclerc remarked afterwards in an interview with Canal + referring to his racing car, before he blurted out: "I'm faster in the corners, I accelerate earlier – and then I lose everything on the straight... it's a joke!"

Leclerc: "Then I'll lose everything"

Leclerc, who in recent years has always been feared for his unique qualifying qualities and even managed to coax a pole position out of an inferior Ferrari on occasion, hasn't simply lost his feel for the perfect lap. The source of his frustration is quickly found and, unsurprisingly, is related to the new regulations.

Charles Leclerc finished fourth in qualifying. © APA/afp / PHILIP FONG

“Unfortunately, my crazy qualifying lap is no longer of any use. With these cars, it’s better to stay within the limits and drive consistently,” Leclerc lamented. Unusual braking points or daring maneuvers are now considered more of a hindrance and apparently no longer provide an advantage in the battle for crucial hundredths of a second. “One of my strengths was taking enormous risks in Q3 to gain some time. If I do that now, I mess up the engine and lose everything.”

New regulations turn everything upside down

What does he mean by that? The software in the power unit decides when the now essential battery is charged and where the electrical power is used. Similar to Formula E, it derives a pattern from previous laps and "learns" from it – which severely limits the drivers' creativity.

In Leclerc's case, this manifests itself as follows: If the Ferrari star accelerates earlier than before after an aggressively driven corner, energy consumption increases and the software adjusts its parameters – and the rest of the lap suffers as a result. Consistency is therefore not only crucial in the race, but also in qualifying. Drivers like Leclerc are visibly affected by this.