How Charles Leclerc's Driving Style Makes Him The Fastest Driver On The Grid!

Charles Leclerc is the fastest f1 driver over 1 lap and I explain how he developed this insanely fast driving style, and what makes him so quick. Driving styles are unique to each driver but this particular style is something that very few drivers can even drive with.
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[@aronszabo9932]

I just want to see so badly in this season that he will be able to drive his car the way he wants🙏

[@F1Unchained]

Agreed

[@fillusrahim-xy9ib]

Peter Windsor said that Charles lecler and Max Verstappen almost similar style but the car let him down

[@F1Unchained]

I am I agree with that completely

[@shakmarriott4820]

Max brakes earlier than Charles

[@cult_personality]

@@shakmarriott4820 obviously there are minor differences cant be 101% match

[@michaelfierman3256]

Great episode and yeah like at the end of last year, Vegas and Abu Dhabi for example, you could literally SEE his confidence was flying...like the early 2022 races and when he was smashing it in 2019. He showed us again ...when he's got a car that's close he'll push to the last nth degree...so lets give this man a car to win with please. I know I'm a huge fan, but I think none of want to have to say in 5 years " oh what might have been with Charles Leclerc" Am I right ?

[@F1Unchained]

My friend I absolutely think he has it in him to win that championship it’s just up to Ferrari to give him his desired car. I honestly think we still haven’t seen a ideal Charles car

[@MessiClearOfPenaldo]

@@F1Unchained SF1000 was pretty close to what he likes. He was extremely comfortable with that car

[@fiend_xdns]

​@@MessiClearOfPenaldo sf1000 had awful results though

[@MessiClearOfPenaldo]

@@fiend_xdns True, but it had the oversteer Charles liked. This is why he destroyed Vettel that year.

[@commentator3837]

What a great opening. I never saw that snippet of him as a kid

[@F1Unchained]

❤️❤️ not too much footage

[@demo7790]

Then you are quite new to this sport. You will see a lot ahead, wait till you see Lando😂😂

[@commentator3837]

@@demo7790 watching it for over 30 years 🤣🤣

[@demo7790]

@@commentator3837 Then you must have been least interested in F1 all these years🤣🤣

[@commentator3837]

@@demo7790 impressive that you have seen all archived F1 footage since 1946

[@tiaanbotes2645]

One thing to notice you mention alot he brakes early however whenever you have a side by side lap especially those ones where they compare pole to p2 laps Charles always seems to brake the latest compared to everyone, I remember always being amazed how much he closed gaps just under braking maybe jts due to the opponents car being faster and having to brake earlier, but he did at any track comparison especially agaisnt max seemed to brake later

[@mikevandervegt]

🙋🏼‍♀ i love leclerc in monaco, always fun to see him go out in the last corner toward the start finish line. Having said that (as leclerc always says in every interview) he is mostly the biggest threat for max if Ferrari made a good car that is, and norris is close except for some tracks, like when meclaren went for rain setup when its not rainy in race day.

[@stephensegal5187]

The crazy front end is because in a Kart, you have to lift the inside rear wheel in order for the kart to turn with its solid rear axle. The downside is tire degredation. The difference is Max uses 2 different driving styles between qualifying and racing.

[@F1Unchained]

They both do but max does it better

[@panosgk1857]

​@@F1Unchained you can't say that, they haven't been teammates this is just your opinion

[@darkghost4890]

Charles is one of the best drivers on the grid if Ferrari only gives him a car that is fast he will destroy any driver

[@F1Unchained]

I agree giving him the car will put him in a great position

[@ji5393]

Dream on 😂😂

[@kunaljain3196]

​@@ji5393started crying already..

[@cococalm]

On point as usual. Excellent approach you have to analyse each drivers style, great content. From pole to win m8.

[@F1Unchained]

Thank you my friend ❤️❤️

[@zahidarifi7848]

Thankfully this years car will be based on Charles’s style

[@F1Unchained]

Which should be amazing

[@zahidarifi7848]

@@F1Unchained we can only hope But the Ferrari fan in me believes this is our year😂😂😂

[@jankowalski1501]

I think it was one of current F1 drivers who said that there is no such thing as making a car to somebody's likings in terms of general contruction, that this is a myth. Yes, you can tweak it in the setup for the race, but teams are not building cars around driving styles. Not sure who said it though, so can;t link a video.

[@nevadatorres2865]

9:30 Final thought. Banger if a video, as always. Your technical knowledge never fails to be amazing. Also, I really like how you style your hair :D it looks good

[@F1Unchained]

Thank you brotha ❤️ and sometimes my hair works to how I like it :). This was one of those times hahah

[@whatever16jb17]

I want Leclerc to hop in the RB with Max sooooo bad because it would be such a good season

[@erics489]

That would be awesome!!

[@nisithamirihagalla7505]

Rest of the grid will fight for the 3rd place

[@n1te_]

It's also worth to note that Charles is probably the best driver under braking. It might compromise his corner exit but he gains a lot of time on the entry. When I compared his quali laps with telemetry vs Verstappen he always brakes later and then gets off the brakes at the same time or even slightly earlier than Verstappen

[@F1Unchained]

He’s very close. Lewis is best at braking but Charles Carrie’s a ridiculous speed through the apex and that’s awesome you can see that

[@nevadatorres2865]

1:02 Congratulations dude, on hitting 15.4K already. Feels like it was just a couple days ago when you hit 15K

[@F1Unchained]

It’s going pretty well :)

[@nevadatorres2865]

3:45 that’s actually something that’s crossed my mind a couple times, how the newer generation of drivers seem to prefer oversteery setups while the older generation prefer understeery setups. I wonder why that is

[@F1Unchained]

I think because of the now heavier cars. That was my theory

[@SneakyB]

They want to do the rotation early with the new cars since they can rely on exit acceleration to power them through corners whereas in older cars, it's more about carrying speed through the corner with less rotation.

[@sujjo]

I don't know. All this talk of driving styles in terms understeery and oversteery seems a bit more of a complication or cliche. When taking metrics like corner positioning, braking, feel and rotation making corners as short as possible into consideration, it's easier to classify drivers and understand how and why they're quick. Put all this together and BOOM you see Charles, Max and Lewis the best on the grid in these terms compared to drivers like Sainz, Lando and Perez. I don't know man. It's my opinion. And probably I've been reading too much of F1 Racing Peter Windsor articles or spending too much time on his podcasts 😝Amazing content as usual. Just subscribed now. Cheers!

[@F1Unchained]

Thank you my friend :)

[@derpjancovy5632]

great vid. thanks

[@F1Unchained]

❤️❤️

[@alicekoppenol-pitti6257]

Both learned the ropes at Van Anersfoort Racing and the team owner commented on the similarities in driving styles between Max and Charles. The difference is that Max values a car setup for the race distance more than for pole position. That is why Charles thrives over one lap and Max doesn't. In the the race they are allmost equal but due to the setup Max is able to preserve the tires longer than Charles.

[@greenfj1466]

Well here we are in 2024 and Charles is clearly showing that the car was the problem with tyre wear and never him...Some people even call him "True Tyre Whisperer" now after suzuka and its amazing that he has the ability to pull off a one stop even in china he could've done it if not for the SC. He has so far shown the best tyre management this year

[@SailICfast]

I'm a Max fan, but if Lerclerc wins the WDC in 2024 I'll be very happy too. He is also a every likable guy, emotional, but that is cool. BTW, I think Lando is a driver that prefers an oversteer car too. Great Video.

[@F1Unchained]

Would love for max or Charles to win as long as it’s close it makes me happy. Both are phenomenal and Lando is the driver that likes it right in the middle. Thank you my friend ❤️

[@wiegraf9009]

When asked in a grill the grid thing I believe almost every driver in F1 said they prefer oversteer except for Alonso, who famously got his WDC wins in an understeery car.

[@nevadatorres2865]

NEW F1UNCHAINED VIDEO, LETS GOOOO

[@F1Unchained]

❤️❤️❤️

[@Kneedragon1962]

The trick is feel, communication. You've got to be able to feel the front through your hands, and feel the rear through the seat. Back in the '70s and '80s, tv commentators used to talk about how the 'car goes up on tip-toes' at the limit. Many years later, racing gokarts, I found that was sometimes true. There was a sensation, a feeling, just before the loss of traction, where the thing seemed to ride up on the sidewall slightly. You could feel it. That and basing your steering inputs on weight, feel, not angle. I am a rear end driver, I like the car (kart) a little bit loose. I can cope with and drive around a degree of unpredictable at the back, but I can't drive around unpredictable at the front. The most valuable thing you can have, is good feel, good communication with the chassis, an understanding of what the car is doing and what it wants from you. The 2nd most important thing, is balance, and being able to set that up, so you can teeter between understeer and oversteer at will. That's the 'balance' you hear drivers and teams talking about all the time, but that's not as important as feel and communication. You can't drive (or ride) fast, if you can't feel and understand what the damn machine is doing.

[@BobbyOfEarth]

There are two predominate strategies for corning during F1 Qual. Late braker's and early braker's. Late brakers typically carry more speed thru the corners as they rely on weight transfer to load the front tires, providing more grip thru the apex = more heat and greater tire wear. Lewis Hamilton is the GOAT at late braking... which is why he has the most poles in F1, which is why other drivers mimic his style. That said, most drivers revert to early braking during the race, typically rolling thru the corners at lower rpm's to conserve tire and engine wear, thus carrying race pace in higher gears, relying on maintaining uniform rhythm throughout the race = less tire wear and more consistent lap times. This is the premise behind drivers running team practice programs.

[@F1Unchained]

True you got it down and the difference between race and quali. It’s why I usually cover there preference during that one all our lap

[@BobbyOfEarth]

One thing they all do is adapt their Qual and Race pace to the limitations of their car/setup. Mercedes for example, while Russell overcomes the rear limited condition of the W14 by breaking earlier, he typically trail brakes thru the apex, while Lewis brakes later, transferring the cars weight to the front tires to find more grip thru the apex. Who's faster thru a given corner usually depends on track conditions.

[@afallenworld1581]

​​@@BobbyOfEarthHow does Lewis still maintain late driver even in the race. Is the Goat?? Especially considering he is the best at Tyre maintenance/magnement.

[@saahil_xd]

And then there's mclaren who have continued with this understeer balance for more than 5 years and haven't been able to get rid of it despite both of their current drivers demanding a stronger front end

[@nevadatorres2865]

0:21 Damn this intro is Fire 🔥 W choice in music, as always

[@F1Unchained]

I thought it was my best intro and music choice so far

[@lorcanbyrne7539]

Be prepared for a very very long opinion. Some of it repeating what u said but some of my own bits too. Leclerc has an incredibly different style to everybody on the grid. Everybody. I’ve looked at endless formula addict h2h laps and onboards of laps for pole, and every single time no matter who is in p2 or even if he is p2 and it’s close. The lines he takes, his braking and his aggression on turn in is so different to others. He is one of the only drivers I’ve seen that takes significantly different lines in corners to everyone. Only reason I can think why is because of the characteristics of the car. For example Bahrain T1, in 2022 he flung the car in not particularly concentrating for a good exit because the car wasn’t amazing on the straight. But in 2023/2019 he was a bit easier on turn in to leave him with a good exit down to t4. It’s a little thing you expect from most drivers but it’s not really seen as pretty much every1 including the best in Alonso,Hamilton and max all stick with their driving styles most corners. I think it shows leclercs ability to adapt and imo that’s his strongest trait. That’s why he was so quick out of the blocks in 2022 as well. And as u said and are completely right, the race is much more even and his style is pretty much the exact same as the other top drivers, he has good the management and race craft. Ofc mistakes creep in from time to time but it’s not even seen that much from him anymore. We’ve seen mistakes leading to dnfs from pretty much every1 other than him and max since France 2022. Sorry for that long answer😂 hope some1 read it tho

[@lorcanbyrne7539]

Also one more thing😂 leclercs style of braking ( in quali only ofc ) helps with his driving style. I’ve noticed his way of an oversteery style is very different to others. He obviously likes it in his setup but his braking in quali contributes to his oversteer. He always is very late on the brakes to carry the minimum speed and being so late means the rear becomes more unstable through the corner so he slams down on the throttle and countersteers to save the car as it rotates. One of the only drivers to use full throttle while counter steering.

[@F1Unchained]

Love comments like this my friend and they definitely reflect my thoughts. He does have that different aggression that I don’t see any driver do and particularly in that turning phase as you pointed out!

[@Areeba3009]

It's interesting to see different perspectives and yup I got your points.

[@sbspace2434]

Charles bester fr

[@F1Unchained]

Definitely has the potential to be

[@sbspace2434]

@@F1Unchained if ferrari isn't what it is

[@Oskar_Hall]

Sick intro bro

[@phatfil77]

If you get the car to start rotating before the apex, you can get on the throttle earlier.

I don't think that Leclerc specifically loves loose rear end as much as he throws it with gas pedal. He loves more balance compared to Max. Max on the other loves having it loose and then to catch it.

[@F1Unchained]

There both very similar in style but leclerc like a using a little more throttle. They both love strong front ends, and I don’t think he has gotten a car that suits his style exactly like Verstappen. I can both tho my friend :)

@@F1Unchained yes, they are very similar. Just saying that Verstappen is more of trying to catch rear end kinda guy while Leclerc is trying to make it loose himself. My opinion...

[@MessiClearOfPenaldo]

@ That's true, Leclerc likes manipulating the car, which can also be seen as he sometimes uses both pedals at the same time to get it turned.

[@RANDOMZBOSSMAN1]

@@MessiClearOfPenaldo yup I remember his throttle trace in his pole lap at Spain in 2022 he was effectively throttle steering through the fast Campsa corner using the throttle to rotate the car more

[@arbengjoka8410]

Definitely future world champion

[@F1Unchained]

Absolutely if they give him the car

[@arbengjoka8410]

​@@iBsteveT he will

[@MyMag77]

Great video! That will be interesting if you do a driving style about Lando Norris

[@F1Unchained]

Could be the next :) will have to eee

[@imkingelijah]

Amazing intro 🔥

[@F1Unchained]

My guy ❤️❤️

[@CF_Racing]

Now this is a video I’m gonna watch 😂

[@F1Unchained]

I figured :)

[@CF_Racing]

@@F1Unchained 😂

[@soulcooper1]

100% agreed

[@juhakivekas2175]

I find these driving style analysis pure hot air - even when Windsor does it. It is very difficult to see any differences between driving styles unless you get the graphs. By eye - no way, absolutely no way. If you look just one corner, like Windsey did at Monaco gas station it was at the end of a curvaeous braking thus it never comes twice exatcly the same - not even with the best ones. The thing is all these guys are so good that they know how to go along the friction circle and this produces only minute differences that are not observable by eye. Sometimes you see a repeatable difference but even then it mostly down to cars. Usually when the car is good have a bit more front end in conjunction with a stable rear. When you see someone driving “erratic” then it is usually because he is over trying, like Yuki. You can not really see a style there. And I think Charles has been very honest saying that he has no particular style because they all drive the same. Mario Andretti said sometime that if you feel it is under control you are not going fast enough. You just try to hang at the edge of the friction circle.

[@user-mo1gp4fg5v]

I think new drivers liking front end come from the new karts. They’ve gotten so much gripper and more “oversteerier”

[@F1Unchained]

That’s a really good point!

[@Aayansharma7895]

Sometimes that aggressive input cost him much more in the race & quali..

[@F1Unchained]

Agreed

[@willemevertdejong9485]

Forza, Charles.Leclerc. Forza, La Scuderia Ferrari a Maranello. Charles Leclerc è per sempre più bene del mondo.⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[@dpjohnjones432]

I truly hope he gets the car to allow him to exploit his potential.

[@F1Unchained]

I hope so!

[@eden5260]

For once i absolutely agree woth you.

[@RANDOMZBOSSMAN1]

6:39 yup Ferrari have had tire issues since at least 2019 when it comes to either warmup issues initially then tire life preservation It’s the same reason why HAAS has been having the same issue all these years it’s probably due to Ferrari suspension setup

[@RANDOMZBOSSMAN1]

Edit you mentioned what I said haha That’s why when people say why have HAAS not solved their issues for 5 years now it’s because they don’t develop their own suspension and had the same issue as Ferrari

[@F1Unchained]

😁 we both in agreement my friend

[@RANDOMZBOSSMAN1]

@@F1Unchained we are for sure I agree with you for sure that Charles is over one lap the fastest driver in f1 now Funnily enough a track he doesn’t get enough credit at is Silverstone I find Charles to be a Silverstone specialist too

[@F1Unchained]

@@RANDOMZBOSSMAN1 I agree it didn’t even cross my mind in the video

[@MessiClearOfPenaldo]

@@RANDOMZBOSSMAN1 He has always been amazing there, he should have won the British GPs in 2021 and 2022 but engine problems and strategy cost him. 2021 was especially incredible, without the engine cuts he would have beaten Hamilton...and even with them he beat Bottas, with a far slower car.

[@afallenworld1581]

You can't get anything more than 90+% off an engine .

[@Snazzy16]

I want him in a car suited for him so bad. That is what I need from 2024 Ferrari

[@F1Unchained]

That is what’s being talked is the car being suited to his style

[@thokoZ]

Him and max are my favorite qualifiers. They always look like they’re wringing everything out the car. However, ever since the new ground effect era I think max isn’t as comfortable as he was in the cars from 2021 and prior. Especially with the heavy redbull at the start of 2022

[@F1Unchained]

Agreed those guys throw these cars in such a fantastic way

[@wiegraf9009]

No one loves the ground effect cars, they're very difficult to drive.

[@kanolightracer5]

4:05 Red Line= Lelcerc line, Green line=Vettel line

[@F1Unchained]

Yes :)

[@gabqt.mp3]

it’s a shame that Ferrari is straight up Lecrerc’s rival a this point 😔

[@f1fans89]

sf-23 was so hard to drive, now with this sf-24 he seems a little bit less agressive

[@strijdje17]

Does this hurt the tires more?

[@dja1353]

I’ve wondered if teams have imposed one drivers preference on the other driver. Why would they do this?

[@F1Unchained]

I don’t think they try to but sometimes the engineers prefer building the car in one way or another

[@wiegraf9009]

They really don't. Leclerc has always been the Ferrari golden boy but for a good portion of 2023 the car favoured Carlos. They try to build the best car they can and the drivers give feedback where they can.

[@AccordGTR]

Who will be faster, Ham or Lecler?

[@F1Unchained]

It will be close like very close. I think leclerc in the start tho

[@emilisgren2882]

it's prolly most compareable with buttons driving style that they mostly steer the cars with the peddals

[@wiegraf9009]

Button was known for being incredibly smooth. Which Charles is uh, not.

[@emilisgren2882]

@@wiegraf9009 yeah with the wheel not the peddals

[@wabailha]

I think Charles has one of the highest ceilings in qualifying pace, but he is not the best qualifier due to consistency. Which is everything. Max beats Charles more often than Charles beats Max imo.

[@F1Unchained]

I agree completely consistency is what makes a driver stand out from great to legend and he still has time to build on it

Might not be popular opinion but Leclerc has more of a Ferrari problem then anything else. 2022 they compete more or less ok, rules changed and they caught some problems. Till this day no one can convince me that Newey didn't predict floor edge being raised by the rules do to porpoising. After that they became unbeatable

[@n1te_]

Charles can't be consistent when he has unconsistent car. Give him a good car and he will be consistent

@@n1te_ like i said. He has a Ferrari problem

[@JamieDaGameRX]

Nah there's no arguing Charles isn't the best qualifier on the grid In Baku the Ferrari was about 6 tenths behind RB and the 3rd fastest car overall and he still managed a pole and podium I mean in 2022 he got more poles than Max despite the Ferrari being clearly slower (after the first 6 races) Furthermore, Max has never been a driver known for having amazing Quali pace (like a Hamilton or a Senna)

[@TheRealVranesh]

Is that why he can drive a car with front wing damage and no pace loss?

[@zequinha340]

Always saw Charles as an equal to Max, he just was not as lucky with his team

[@nevadatorres2865]

1:54 Agreed. I genuinely believe leclerc is the fastest in terms of pure pace rn

[@F1Unchained]

Just magic watching him

[@jeanmakita3839]

Look, I'm a Lewis fan 1st. Charles, is a close second. I know he makes crucial errors, but his driving style is so fun to watch. I love his strength and perseverance. He will win and may be a champ one day. If Ferrari don't let him down, that may come sooner rather than later😅

[@solo_wing_pixy_fan7367]

My views on leclerc changed in 2020. He was easily a league above vettel.

[@F1Unchained]

As a Vettel fan I do think so.

[@GhostonYoutube201x]

Vettel dropped off a massive cliff once he hit his early 30s, something about drivers that start young fade early

[@daveruda]

beating a struggling unhappy Vettel doesnt really say much. I think they just made sure Charles was happy with the car and the rest was secondary

[@MessiClearOfPenaldo]

@@daveruda What is the excuse for 2019?

[@fintonmainz7845]

I wonder will Lewis moving to Ferrari will push car development in a way that doesn't suit Charles so much?

[@bivitabrata3188]

Is it only me, who thinks that he's too much prone to error? In Baku, or when he was leading in Imola, or anywhere else.

[@Ehm593]

It’s fine and good to have your own style, but if it doesn’t suit the car, and the car reacts to it, you have to adapt your style. Many considered Max’s Singapore 23 as a failure. I consider it to be one of his best ever races. They were not able to get the setup of the car right for the race. During the race, Max adapted his style, learning every lap what the (new) limits of the car were. After his pit stop he was 15th, and 4 laps from the end was 12s behind Le Clerc. He crossed the line 0.2secs behind Le Clerc, catching him at 4s a lap to take 5th place. One could see the change over the race distance, as Max first battled the car, and then slowly got faster and faster. Great race in my opinion.

[@HousseinMsh]

The last 10 laps in Singapore leclerc had an engine problem he had to lift and cost. In every corner, he was slower than sainz by 1.5 seconds per lap, but yeah, I get your point. Max learned a lot from that race, which is why he is winning until this day

[@mesterorange8181]

Henlo people

[@F1Unchained]

:) hello

[@thasmandotory589]

The only difference is the car

[@F1Unchained]

Agreed

[@aaldertstouwe5605]

Aaldert

[@TANGYHATCHY]

I genuinely curious how leclerc would drive the rb16 and rb16b. I feel like THATS the type of car he wants, and Ferraris internal battle between garages since 2019 just can’t seem to get on board to FULLY give it to him and it’s biting them in the ass. Carlos is a BEAST at adaptability. He’ll figure it out just not as fast as leclerc. That’s why he’s tried to do what he’s done at Ferrari and establish himself within a teams development because it was the first time he was truly given the opportunity. Just wasn’t worth it in the end. Ferrari spent too much time trying to make a car to suit both drivers after having to ditch their whole floor concept after td39.

[@F1Unchained]

Absolutely I think him in that rb16 would be so sick

[@TANGYHATCHY]

@@F1Unchained really hoping to see him at good wood in sf75 this year now that testing regs are up.

[@miker7920]

I hope Charles will win something this season, even if its just a sprint 😂 Oversteer drivers are king, Leclerc, Schumacher, Verstappen, Senna

[@F1Unchained]

I think they will be a very competitive team this year. True some of the greatest of all time love this preference

[@wiegraf9009]

Sorry but when you look at the big picture Alonso is pretty likely the best driver ever in F1 and he prefers understeer. Of course one of the things that makes him great is he can adapt but yeah that's his stated preference. Not saying this as an Alonso fan boy I'm not a huge fan of him but if you look at the numbers he's absolutely incredible.

[@yourboysgottem202]

Ferraris biggest mistake was steering car development in a Sainz direction and I'll stand on that

[@F1Unchained]

Agreed

[@wiegraf9009]

They definitely weren't trying to favour Carlos. It's just how their development went.

[@yourboysgottem202]

@@wiegraf9009 They definetely were as confirmed through Mekies and Binottos interviews in 2022

[@ji5393]

Ever thought Ferrari, and in particular Leclerc, rather focus on Q setup than race setup? This has been very obvious for the last 2 seasons

[@greenfj1466]

This season clearly proves otherwise,Leclerc has shown the best tyre management this season so far

[@TANGYHATCHY]

Yooooooooooo naw this is leclerc year. I’ve had a feeling and after seeing that win lose being 22.22% it’s forsure the year the curse breaks. Those numbers are SPECIAL.

[@F1Unchained]

Hahaha break the curse

[@johan-3182]

The fastest driver on the grid? Seriously?

[@dzikripratama3776]

Yep in terms of one lap

[@napsta8363]

In quali yes definitely

[@michaeldellorso889]

I’d call the guy with the GOAT race pace fastest on the grid. Leclerc may be the fastest qualifier.

[@F1Unchained]

To each there own. I don’t think he’s best but fastest over one lap for sure

[@michaeldellorso889]

@@F1Unchained I can’t say for sure. RBR favors race pace in their design and Max notoriously does in setup as well. Leclerc certainly has a case. I’d like to see him against Max, Russell, Norris though. Sainz is not a great qualifier.

[@MessiClearOfPenaldo]

@@michaeldellorso889 Sainz is a pretty good qualifier, race pace is what he usually lacks.

[@michaeldellorso889]

@@MessiClearOfPenaldo I think he’s average to slightly above in both departments. Definitely don’t think he’s a better qualifier than racer. I think he’s balanced in that regard.

[@MessiClearOfPenaldo]

​@@michaeldellorso889 Fair enough. I never rated Sainz that high.

[@bishopoftroy]

He`s fastest on one lap pf quali but he doesn`t have the psyche of a great racer like Alonso or Hamilton. Nonetheless a brilliant driver once in a while.

[@F1Unchained]

Not yet but he could get it

[@bishopoftroy]

@@F1Unchained I would be very happy to see a strong Leclerc but i`m afraid h gets very emotional very fast and i think he`s too critical of himself. He lingers on a mistake instead of looking ahead and figure out how to regain the advantage. That`s my image of Leclerc. But other than that, when he`s on top he`s blazingly fast.

[@mesterorange8181]

Charles would fit perfectly in Mercedes work enviroment, he dont desl that well with pressure and ferrari is possibly the worst from the big teams on that

[@F1Unchained]

I do think he would work well together but he’s getting better under pressure

[@MessiClearOfPenaldo]

I don’t really think the pressure is the problem, the car is just so unbalanced that the slightest mistake is costly.

[@RacingAs7]

I see a Michael Schumacher in him

[@F1Unchained]

Absolutely

[@pranavnair958]

Really fastest on the grid?? He was barely 6th last season and 7th overall since he has been in F1. Quali pace doesn’t make him the fastest. Period.

[@chomiQmovies]

Oh come on guys, this dude will never be a WDC. Mark my words. He's too flawed, mediocre and lacks motivation. He's literally taking up space, I'd love it if Ferrari replaced him with Bearman.

[@roozbehsadrolashrafi]

do you guys even watch F1 ??? last time i checked Max was the fastest driver on the grid

[@stephenoxf]

it's consensus that Max and Charles are equal over a lap, with Max in the better car.

[@garsiayetski4944]

It's a nice video, but has a few flaws in it. First of all, Charles is not an early braker by any means. He actually might be the most aggressive braker on the grid. Second of all, Sainz's style is not THAT different, especially in the last few years he's more of a neutral driver in terms of steering, definitely on the opposite side of spectre, plus they have common tendencies in braking and accelerating.

[@alexsultanov5356]

he may be fast in qualifying but he doesn’t have the mental strength and he is inconsistent because of that

[@MessiClearOfPenaldo]

He won a race right after his father passed, it's not as much of a mentality problem at this point as it is the car being on the knife edge and making every slight mistake costly. We have seen with the Red Bull for instance how they can make a small mistake (take too much kerb, for instance) and continue like nothing happened, this doesn't happen with the Ferrari.

[@wiegraf9009]

Buddy he has to deal with Ferrari dysfunction on and off the track while Max has a near perfect team behind him. It helps a lot with mentality when you aren't fighting internal politics in your team and second guessing their decisions.

[@MeRacko]

IT DOESN'T

[@garrettbellinghausen8389]

Fastest over a single lap maybe but F1 is about being fast over an entire season… while Leclerc is pushing into this risky style max has kind of lowered the risk of his driving making him slightly slower over a lap but much faster over a race. You can’t push flat out for an entire stint or else you will have ruined tired by the 4-5th lap. Something I think you are forgetting is Leclerc is pushing to his absolute limit and we see that with the mistakes but look at max he is absolutely destroying the grid and he looks like he is just out for a Sunday drive and not actually pushing himself. We can see this by him getting his 10-20 second lead in the first 30% of the race and then he just keeps the the gap… if McLaren can actually challenge Red Bull this year I think we will see an absolute demon in max.

[@F1Unchained]

Yeah exactly I mention this all in the video

[@wiegraf9009]

As RBR showed in 2023, quali pace isn't very important if you have superb race pace (dirty air reduction with the new regs helped with this too). All the points are awarded for racing after all.

[@96wtfomg]

Charles is very fast but he lowkey too soft. Lacks killer mentality. Sainz isn't as fast but he is much more tough mentally as of January 2024

[@F1Unchained]

I agree completely but I do think it’s getting better

[@troystewart4262]

Never heard Leclerc complain about intimidated by another driver on the radio such as Sainz with Perez (regarding Austria in 2023). Irritated at times with other drivers (max and Perez at times). The body of work is about the same in terms of this.

[@MessiClearOfPenaldo]

Sainz never takes any blame and cries at everything, how does he have killer mentality? The entire concept of "killer instinct" is extremely overrated imo.

[@underSTATEDexcellence]

Fastest on the grid……Really bruh, so we’re only talking about on a single lap on certain circuits here then. You need to bring the whole package together to be called the fastest.

[@F1Unchained]

He is! Over one lap :)

[@underSTATEDexcellence]

Gotcha. I agree with 99% of what your saying. And Leclerc is by far the #1 driver I would want to sit down and have a conversation with. He’s humble, down to earth and like your intro says Kind.

[@CuddlesEnjoyer]

I think Ferrari just sucks with that stuff

[@underSTATEDexcellence]

@@CuddlesEnjoyer They definitely are letting his talent go to waste.

[@Jhin224]

Bruh. So amount of times he’s been in Q3 with the 2nd-4th fastest car, not makes him the fastest?

[@ji5393]

Leclerc is fast but to error prone. That’s making him a great driver, not an S tier driver like Schumacher, Senna or Verstappen

[@mo215300]

i disagree give him a reliable race car and he will prove your opinion a myth

[@midas7394]

LeClerc is among the best drivers on track, but lacks the ability to extract the maximum possible out of the car & tires, over the race distance, on any given race day..... like & Max manages to do. At the moment, only Max has has the talent to adapt his driving style to any cars setup in order to extract the maximum possible result out of the car & tires, on any given race day. eg Max's first RB win .......... or the 2016 Brazil race ..... or The last Japanese race..... just to mention a few. ha-ha

[@F1Unchained]

I agree for now

[@mo215300]

i disagree given a good race car leclerc will do the same

[@midas7394]

@@mo215300 Ha-ha History shows that even when LeClerc had a very good car, little mistakes kept robbing him of dominance. Over time, he may improve but we doubt if he could match Max.

[@Dyils]

Fastest driver on the grid got beat by Sainz in Sainz' first season in Ferrari and ALMOST got him beat again in the last season (if not for the Vegas drain that damaged Sainz' car, things could be different). "Fastest driver". We about to see that in 2025 when he gets his ass whooped by Hamilton. Comparing him to Hamilton or Verstappen is a crime honestly...

[@AWKnuden]

sorry, but several drivers on the grid drive like that. But no one of them have the tool that Charles have. And you are right, he has made a lot of mistakes. Max drives different than Charles. Max wan't a ferm front end, that Is not the case with Charles. They wan't different form of balance in the cars.

[@jayb8941]

Over one lap, no one is as fast as Leclerc by far. He could also be fastest over a GP but he makes too many unforced errors (if he had a championship winning car) and with the new breed of hyper aggressive drivers like Max, George, Ocon, he would need a new tool in his armoury to compete.

[@MessiClearOfPenaldo]

He is very aggressive when he can afford it (Silverstone 2019, Monza 2019, Bahrain 2022, Jeddah 2022, Silverstone 2022 etc.). He also doesn't really make more unforced errors than the other top drivers either and with a championship winning car he wouldn't need to push to the limits.

[@F1Unchained]

Spot on my friend

[@olinaguasalvarado3225]

He is sometimes, but with empty tanks and no competition. That doesn't make you win championships, he is a good qualifier but a mediocre racer.

[@chrismastersgolf7159]

Leclerc crashes to often to be considered the best driver on the grid I think for consistency Lewis is the bast driver on the grid still to get what he got out of that terrible Mercedes car last year and trust me I don’t like Hamilton the only other 2 drivers I can see that comes close on lap on lap pace consistently is sainz or gasly

[@mo215300]

what a nonsense take you please keep your opinion to yourself

[@wiegraf9009]

Alonso, Hamilton, and Max were the best drivers last year. They were all next level.

[@rashidswitch643]

He will never be world champion material accept it

[@wiegraf9009]

Some kinda mid drivers have been WDC, I wouldn't say that.