Just two rookies made it into the top 10 in the opening Qualifying session of the season opener at Barcelona, Arthur Leclerc not amongst them, and the PREMA Racing driver feels that he will need to sort out his one-lap pace before he can think about fighting in the races.

Fourth place in Free Practice suggested that Leclerc would hit the ground running in Spain, but he could only manage P15 in Qualifying, which put him on the back foot for the rest of the round.

“My objective is to work on Qualifying and find what we were missing in Barcelona because race pace was quite good,” said Leclerc. “I struggled to put a lap together in qualifying, but I think that we had the pace because FP and the first run in Qualifying were good.

“I didn't have traffic on my first lap, and I was able to stay in the top five, but runs two and three, where you do your best laptime, weren’t the best. I know I made a mistake, so I could manage that better.

Leclerc struggled with Qualifying in Round 1 but is targetting the top 10 at Le Castellet
Leclerc struggled with Qualifying in Round 1, but is targetting the top 10 at Le Castellet

“Whereas, on a more positive note, I was quite happy with the overtaking in Race 2, especially with the race being in Barcelona where it is quite hard to overtake. It’s probably one of the most difficult tracks on our calendar to overtake on. It should be a bit easier here in Paul Ricard, but first, we must fix Qualifying before we can focus on the races.”

Leclerc knows Paul Ricard from his 2020 Formula Regional European campaign, having taken three podiums from three races there last season, including two wins.

Growing up in Monaco, the Le Castellet based circuit represents the closest thing to a home race for Leclerc this season. He feels that the track will be more suited to his own driving style than Barcelona was.

“It is really close to my house, so obviously it is a very special round for me,” said Leclerc. “My family and friends are coming, so it is a special weekend for me, more special than any other. I will give everything.

Leclerc raced at Le Castellet in Formula Regional last year taking three podiums and two wins
Leclerc raced at Le Castellet in Formula Regional last year, taking three podiums and two wins

“I do like this track, although it is a bit of a shame that the run-offs are so big. I think it may be a bit more suited to my driving style. The last sector is really tricky, and you have to push a lot at the entries.

“There are a lot of different types of corners, so you cannot focus purely on one style of corner. You really have to get all of your driving sorted and that makes things even more difficult.”