Sauber’s Charles Leclerc says improving and understanding full-race runs is his biggest target before the Australian Grand Prix, as he gets ready for his debut in Formula 1.
Ferrari-backed Formula 2 champion Leclerc will be one of two rookies on the 2018 grid, along with Williams’ Sergey Sirotkin, and carried out a race simulation in the C37 during Wednesday’s test action at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Leclerc explained that getting a grasp on the various nuances of a Formula 1 race is his biggest target before making his debut later this month.
For me it’s definitely to be more confident in a race run,” he said of his hopes for his last test day in the Sauber on Friday.
“[There is] set-up, and just length of the race, how to manage the tyres properly, and all these things, pit stop, strategy, I think this will be the big point of the last day here for me,.
“I really need to focus on that to be fully ready for Melbourne, I think qualifying is not… well ‘no so hard’, it’s difficult obviously – but it’s not the biggest priority for me at the moment.
“I’ve got a lot more things to learn in race configuration.”
Sauber team boss Frederic Vasseur has targeted a return to the midfield gaggle this year, after several seasons of underperformance, with just seven points scored across 2016/17.
When asked if it was a realistic ambition, following his experience in the C37, Leclerc replied: “we see, but the goal is definitely to improve during the year and to catch up with the midfield as soon as possible.
“We will see, I think it’s pretty hard to know where we are at the moment, because looking at the timesheets it’s looking good, but obviously there’s lot more factors like the fuel that we don’t know then for now.
“So we will see at the first race, but for now we are working well and I’m sure if we keep working well the results will come.”
