MPH: Verstappen's powers are blunted, now Leclerc is the F1 driver with a magic touch

Drivers and a very vocal fan contingent are in agreement in deploring the way the new regulations have turned qualifying from a contest of on-the-edge driving to exploiting the most efficient use of energy.

The extent to which that is true varies significantly from track to track, and we have had two of the most energy-hungry tracks on the calendar in the first three races. But ideally it should not be the case at all and qualifying should always be a contest to determine who can best drive their cars at the limit. We await to see what regulation changes are going to be made in the storage and split of the energy as a result of the meetings between teams, F1 and the FIA in this unscheduled break in the calendar.

But meantime, within the constraints of the first three races there were two fascinating case studies – those of Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen – in how drivers were responding to the new set of demands. Neither likes the new energy efficiency style of driving and Leclerc’s Ferrari has clearly been a more competitive car than Verstappen’s Red Bull. However, within that double framework, the way each has responded is very different.

While Verstappen has raged against how bad he finds the regulations, this on top of his general fury at the limitations of the Red Bull’s front end, Leclerc has applied himself and even found an area of advantage to offset the disadvantage the new regs have imposed upon them both.

Rather like at the beginning of 2022 and ’23, the low-speed understeer traits of the Red Bull are placing a false ceiling upon Verstappen’s ability to squeeze something special from himself. His ability to pivot the car around the outer-front tyre to get quick rotation into the corner but without then losing more lap time through rear scrubbing than he’s found from the quick rotation is legendary. It requires fantastic feel to keep the reference of that balancing point and the pointier the car is, the bigger will be the gap between him and an ordinary driver. But bring the car’s front end responsiveness down and his window of differentiation becomes much smaller and can even disappear.

That current trait of the Red Bull is not directly to do with the new regulations, but when it comes on top of the way the energy split demands can actually punish a driver able to get earlier on the throttle – which is what Verstappen’s technique allows – his frustration is all too easy to imagine. Because not only is he struggling to get the car to respond to how he wants to drive, but even when he can manage to do it, he just uses up more battery energy and is therefore penalised on the straight.

Leclerc’s the master of deployment

Now compound that with the Red Bull’s somewhat clunky and inconsistent power unit delivery in these early races and we have the sport’s number one driver talking about leaving at the end of the season such is his level of disenchantment. He’s broken records he never dreamed of breaking and now everything seems to be conspiring to make it a slog. He talks of how even if the car becomes competitive and he’s winning again, he cannot imagine enjoying racing in this way.

Contrast that with Leclerc – a driver who has every reason to believe he could have been going toe-to-toe with Verstappen during Max’s title years if only he’d had equal machinery – without the same career achievements and with a lot still to prove. Yes, he hates the way his extraordinary ability to sit the outer rear tyre on the very edge without quite going over it has been penalised by the energy demands. He hates the way that the sort of virtuosity which has many times allowed him to pull something special out the bag on his final Q3 run now actually mitigates against him through a software algorithm which needs identical repeatability. But the frustration doesn’t seem so all-consuming and the ambition is still very evident. He’s apparently even drawn up a team of his own software experts to help him understand how best to optimise the systems in every situation. He’s actually doubled down in his efforts despite not enjoying the driving demands. If there is an advantage to be found over others via this better understanding, then he wants it.

What we have seen so far in Leclerc’s races is an incredibly adept use of the various boost and overtake modes to keep himself in contention, regularly frustrating George Russell’s faster Mercedes. This is probably also to do with the Ferrari’s small turbo/shorter gearing being more raceable in traffic, but Leclerc has absolutely maximised the trait. Even when he lacked outright pace on his bogey circuit of Shanghai – where, just like last year, he was slower than team-mate Lewis Hamilton – he was able to stay in play by how well thought-out his use of the battery was. He’s the master of deployment.

Probably not the title he’d choose to have after eight years in cars not quite good enough for a championship challenge. But if he ever gets a car to match his ability, his path to that title may be eased by Verstappen no longer being on the grid.

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