Leclerc, one of F1’s star qualifiers, has had several disappointing results against the clock in 2023, as he has struggled to keep to the minimalistic approach required in mixed conditions to reduce mistakes and keep the sensitive Pirelli tyres in the correct state with his aggressive driving style.
In addition to his Barcelona exit when that qualifying session had followed a wet FP3 and he qualified 19th there, he was eliminated in Canada’s Q2 session when changing from intermediates to slicks.
