As is normal at the start of a technical rules cycle, one key aspect has to be taken into account: the new power units are incredibly complex and the strategies for using them are not straightforward. Experience is built over time, and even during a race weekend variables can emerge that change the overall picture and provide a different perspective.
That is also what happened to Charles Leclerc in sprint qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix: in his final attempt in SQ3, what seemed like a lap good enough to put him in the fight for third position suddenly turned into a missed opportunity. On the long 1.2km back straight, the Monegasque found himself without energy earlier than his rivals, losing those tenths of a second that cost him the chance to fight for the second row.
