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Leclerc: Criticism of F3 driving standards "exaggerated"

European Formula 3's top rookie Charles Leclerc believes the championship's driving standards issues were overstated in 2015, suggesting that the racing got better as it went on.

Charles Leclerc, Van Amersfoort Racing Dallara Volkswagen

Charles Leclerc, Van Amersfoort Racing Dallara Volkswagen

XPB Images

Charles Leclerc, Van Amersfoort Racing Dallara Volkswagen;  18.10.2015. FIA F3 European Championship 2015, Round 11, Race 3, Hockenheimring, Germany - www.xpbimages.com, EMail: requests@xpbimages.com - copy of publication required for printed pictures. Every used picture is fee-liable. © Copyright: Bartkowiak / XPB Images
Lance Stroll, Prema Powerteam Dallara Mercedes-Benz crashed in the gravel
Charles Leclerc, Van Amersfoort Racing Dallara Volkswagen
Nabil Jeffri, Motopark Academy Dallara F312 Volkswagen and Alessio Lorandi, Van Amersfoort Racing Dallara F312 Volkswagen
Max Verstappen, Scuderia Toro Rosso STR10
Alessio Lorandi, Van Amersfoort Racing Dallara Volkswagen
Charles Leclerc, Van Amersfoort Racing Dallara Volkswagen
Sam MacLeod, Motopark Dallara Volkswagen and Callum Ilott, Carlin Dallara Volkswagen

Many of the series' drivers came under fire for their driving throughout this season, with several race bans handed out in the aftermath of heavy shunts and a number of races taking place almost entirely behind the safety car.

The situation reached a low point in round four at Monza, when the final race of the weekend was red-flagged early specifically due to poor driving standards.

However, Leclerc, who himself largely stayed out of trouble over his rookie season, said the racing was not as bad as some of the criticism suggested.

"I think it was exaggerated a little," he told Motorsport.com. "There were some drivers who were a bit stupid on track, I think, but they calmed down afterwards. And people started saying they were slow drivers, which wasn’t true.

"I think it’s a very competitive field, especially this year, one of the most competitive fields since F3 has existed.

"Then, for sure, there are many inexperienced drivers, I think that’s why there were many crashes at the start of the season, but as we saw, at the end of the season, it was much better."

The Monegasque himself failed to finish only two of the season's 33 races on his way to fourth in the standings.

Drivers' inexperience an issue

Following in the footsteps of Max Verstappen, two drivers - Callum Ilott and Alessio Lorandi - entered F3 straight out of karting this year.

And while the duo were perhaps not the worst culprits in terms of causing incidents, Leclerc suggested that racers being able to enter F3 without prior open-wheel experience is an issue.

"Maybe [they should] make it mandatory, before graduating to F3, to spend a season in a lower category like F4 or Formula Renault 2.0," he said. "Not to go straight from karting to F3."

Leclerc's campaign in F3 was his second year in single-seaters, as he contested Formula Renault 2.0 Alps in 2014, finishing runner-up to McLaren junior Nyck de Vries.

Interview by Benjamin Vinel

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