Charles Leclerc reacts to “porpoising”
During the Barcelona tests, the Scuderia Ferrari drivers suffered greatly from dolphin-like behavior. And especially the Monegasque Charles Leclerc, whose images were broadcasted.
The Barcelona tests in late February brought to light a problem that the drivers of the late 1970s and early 80s were already facing: porpoising. Images of Charles Leclerc’s pass have circulated on social media and the Ferrari driver has responded to this unexpected issue.
“It’s like turbulence on a plane, going up and down throughout the whole journey,” says the Monegasque. “I think one of the videos posted by F1 shows this phenomenon quite well, and I can’t say it’s enjoyable. It makes me a little sick, but I’ll be fine. It’s still early to predict. I think it’s a common problem for almost all teams, but in this paddock, we have the best engineers in the world, so I’m sure we’ll find a solution,” he declares.
Regarding the tests themselves, Leclerc remains cautious and avoids comparing with the other teams, while knowing that not all of them have revealed their full potential.
This does not prevent the 24-year-old Monégasque from being confident about the F1-75. « These three days have been consistent and it is always positive to start this way. The pre-season preparation went very well and I feel fitter than ever. Every year I try to push the bar a little higher and I feel good, I felt good in the car during these tests », reveals Charles Leclerc. « We are happy with how things have turned out.
But on the other hand, I think we are working harder than ever while keeping a cool head. Of course, it’s always nice to be in P1. But it doesn’t mean anything and I think the whole team is aware of that. That’s why we haven’t focused at all on performance. We are just focused on ourselves, trying to test as many things as possible to understand this car. And then in Bahrain, we will push the car even further there, explains the Ferrari driver.
