Leclerc not getting carried away, but little by little ‘we’ll get there’

Charles Leclerc is keeping his feet on the ground after his dominant Monaco weekend, but insists there’s more potential to unlock from Ferrari’s latest upgrades.

On home turf last time out, Leclerc delivered to the Scuderia its second win of the season, with Carlos Sainz preceding him in Melbourne when he secured the Italian outfit’s first victory of 2024.

While the local hero’s imperial display on race day was helped by Monaco’s traditional non-existent overtaking opportunities, Leclerc’s equally commanding performance in qualifying undeniably reflected Ferrari’s rise.

“I feel that the turning point of the season has been a few races ago already,” commented Leclerc, quoted by Racer.

“We didn’t have quite the car to win a race in the last few races. However, we did and I knew that the opportunity had to be taken, and I did. So on that, we did a really good job.”

Leclerc’s performance in Saturday’s shootout in the Principality marked a clear return of his qualifying form, one of his strongest assets, which had oddly gone missing earlier this year.

“I’ve had two qualifyings where I struggled at the beginning of the season, but from then on, I worked on my qualifying pace and since then, I’m extremely happy with the job we are doing,” he said.

“So, really happy with how it goes, and I hope that this will bring us to many more wins.”

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At Imola, Ferrari rolled out a significantly revised SF-24 that included major aerodynamic changes, such as the car’s radiator inlet housing which now features a Red Bull RB20-like upper lip replacing the traditional lower lip.

But the car’s diffuser and floor edges were also reshaped to fully exploit the greater undercut. There were also changes to the SF-24’s wings, front and rear.

Leclerc admits that given the characteristics of Monaco’s specific layout, the new package will require further validation at upcoming tracks, starting next weekend in Montreal.

While the six-time Grand Prix winner is determined to carry his momentum forward, Leclerc isn’t focused on his position in the championship but rather on taking things one race at a time.

“We shouldn’t get carried away, obviously Monaco is such a specific track and I think we had a really good car,” he added.

“It doesn’t mean that it will stay like that until the end of the year, but looking back at the first few races of the season, I think we did a great job maximizing all the races that we have done, and we’ll keep it going.

“31 [points] is OK. But I don’t think about the championship for now anyway, and it’s still too early on in the season.

“I think the upgrades that we have brought in Imola, we have still to see how well they work and where it will bring us. And then it’s all about maximizing all weekends, and then hopefully, little by little, we’ll get there.”

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