If it’s not been made abundantly clear in recent times, a driver’s best friend during the race is his race engineer. This is what Charles Leclerc spoke about during his recent Unfiltered Conversation with Toni Cowan-Brown.
The line of communication between a driver and a race engineer can define a driver’s overall performance during a weekend. If there is a discrepancy and poor communication, it can result in strategic errors. At Ferrari, this issue has plagued several of Leclerc’s races in the past.
So, during his chat with Cowan-Brown on her YouTube channel, Leclerc reveals that he likes to communicate first and then look at the data.
He says,
“I always like to do my comments before looking at the data. Because at least sometimes the feeling of the driver is super important. As I was saying earlier, sometimes you’ve got a gut feeling and a preference as a driver. And then I like to confirm that feeling with data.”
Unfiltered conversation with the Scuderia Ferrari HP drivers https://t.co/CiphoZe74x via @YouTube
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When feedback and data contradict each other, Leclerc resorts to decision-making. There are times when the “feeling” a driver has in the car is stronger than the data presented by the race engineer.
Then, drivers are left with two choices – either opt for a data-optimized setup or go for a feeling-oriented one. However, the most important thing is to tune a car suited to the driver’s needs. This is why communication is key, and Leclerc carries a notebook for the same.
Leclerc reveals how he communicates his feedback to the team
In the same interview, Leclerc reveals how he manages his notes with all the information flowing through his head. He writes things down in a notebook, mainly after tire testing, because it’s difficult to communicate everything after the lengthy sessions which sometimes last up to four hours.
He added,
“So when I finish the debrief, actually I’m going to write the five most important points of that debrief and what is going to help me to go faster on track.”
This crucial practice is what is commonly known as driver feedback which helps teams decide their developmental path. This path then translates to upgrades which in turn unlocks performance. So, it all starts with the drivers giving their honest opinion of the car which turns into being faster on the track. The power of communication.
