Charles Leclerc says Ferrari has its work cut out to solve the "limitations" currently impacting its SF-24, insisting that the car’s muted performances are not a coincidence.
In Austria last weekend, both Ferrari cars were outpaced by their direct rivals in qualifying, with Carlos Sainz clocking in fourth after Saturday’s shootout while Leclerc was sixth.
On Sunday, the Monegasque’s chances of securing a good result were squandered from the outset following a contact at the first corner that damaged his car and required a pitstop to change the SF-24’s front wing, which sent Leclerc tumbling down the order.
As for Sainz, the Spaniard only owed his spot on the third step of the podium to the late clash between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris that took both drivers out of the mix for a win, which enabled George Russell to deliver to Mercedes its first win since Brazil in 2022.
But overall, Ferrari’s subdued performance was a clear indication that the Scuderia has lost ground recently to Red Bull, McLaren and a resurgent Mercedes, even despite the introduction in Spain of a significant upgrade package on its SF-24.
Leclerc’s dominant display at his home race in Monaco at the end of May now feels like a distant memory for the six-time Grand Prix winner.
©Ferrari
"There are very little coincidences in Formula 1, and especially when it's two weekends in a row so we've got to look into it and analyse," commented Leclerc.
“It is true that the update package has brought the expected load, we can see it from the data. However there are other limitations that we need to look into to try and get rid of.
"I did not expect these three results we've had since Monaco. It's been very, very difficult for the team. So there's a lot of work to be done."
Nevertheless, Leclerc stated that the team gathered a wealth of data at the Red Bull Ring which should allow Scuderia to refine the upgraded package for this weekend's round of racing at Silverstone.
"Apart from Carlos’ podium which brings us a good points haul in the Constructors’, the only other positive aspect of the weekend is that we were able to try various set-up configurations, producing plenty of data for the team, which will be very important for the upcoming races,” he noted.
“Tomorrow, we will immediately start working hard with the aim of putting this race behind us, right from next weekend at Silverstone.”
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