Charles Leclerc suggested drivers are beginning to \u2018converge\u2019 on how best to use the battery in the new F1 cars after complaints overtaking had become \u2018artificial\u2019.<\/p>\n
Both grands prix of the 2026 season so far have seen an increased number of overtakes but fingers have been pointed to differing battery levels as an explanation behind the rise.<\/p>\n
Charles Leclerc reacts to \u2018artificial\u2019 F1 complaint<\/p>\n
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google<\/a> to your favourites list for news you can trust<\/p>\n The increased importance of the battery in this regulation cycle has made F1 races seem like a seesaw between one driver having the electrical power compared to another before switching roles as the others\u2019 battery has charged.<\/p>\n There have been plenty of comments that this has left an \u201cartificial\u201d feeling to F1 but Leclerc suggested it was not like that in the cockpit.<\/p>\n \u201cI enjoy it, and it doesn\u2019t feel so artificial from inside the car,\u201d the Ferrari man said. \u201cOf course, you\u2019ve got those overtakes where it\u2019s artificial whenever someone is doing a mistake with a battery and completely drains it, and then there\u2019s a massive speed difference.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I feel like we are all converging a little bit towards knowing where we shouldn\u2019t go and where can we try and take the risk, and so that creates very interesting overtaking places.\u201d<\/p>\n Leclerc was one half of the most exciting battle yet as he and team-mate Lewis Hamilton traded places in China and the Mon\u00e9gasque suggested qualifying rather than races was the area that needed focus.<\/p>\n \u201cToday was showing the smaller, lighter cars as well, a bit more agile, also a little bit easier to go around the outside. It\u2019s not those super high downforce cars that we used to have in the past.<\/p>\n More on Ferrari from PlanetF1.com<\/p>\n * Charles Leclerc\u2019s unwanted Mercedes pace confirmation as Ferrari upgrades \u2018in the pipeline\u2019<\/a> \u201cHowever, there are some things that we, of course, need to look at to make it a little bit more Formula 1 like in qualifying, because I feel like there\u2019s something that we miss still, but I know if we work on it, hopefully we\u2019ll find a solution for that.\u201d<\/p>\n His former team-mate Carlos Sainz though suggested that China was a track that was always going to showcase the best of these cars and warned that different circuits will bring out the worst.<\/p>\n \u201cI think in a track like China, they\u2019re not that bad, because it is very energy-rich and harvesting-rich, which in the end means the engines behave very differently to last year, but not as different as they did in Melbourne.<\/p>\n \u201cI think Melbourne, Monza, Spa \u2013 it definitely needs a rethink. I think development will also do its part. But I\u2019m also 100% sure this is not the way I want to see it. And I\u2019m also quite sure the people at the top also see that, and know that when you look at what they\u2019re doing with graphics and everything, they\u2019re trying to do their best to sell something that I think we all know is not the right formula for Formula 1.\u201d<\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n
* Lewis Hamilton hails \u2018best racing\u2019 of F1 career after fierce Charles Leclerc Chinese GP duel<\/a>
* Ferrari handed reality check amid \u2018quite staggering\u2019 Mercedes gap<\/a><\/p>\n