Leclerc: Ferrari now better prepared to manage pressure in F1

Charles Leclerc believes that Ferrari is now in a better position to deal with the “ups and downs” it encounters in the sport and shut out the “outside noise” that often impacted the team’s atmosphere in the past.

As the Scuderia’s lead driver since 2019, Leclerc has faced the immense pressure and expectations that come with representing the iconic Italian outfit.

In the build-up to this weekend’s Mexican Grand Prix, the Monegasque opened up about how he’s learned to cope with the intense environment of Ferrari and the passion that fuels the team’s culture.

Leclerc acknowledged that being part of the prestigious House of Maranello brings a unique set of challenges and rewards. Ferrari’s rich history and passionate fanbase mean there’s always high anticipation, which can swing dramatically based on the team’s fortunes.

“Yes, I think I’ve learned to deal with it,” Leclerc told the media on Thursday.

“I’ve always said that I think one of the best things of a team like Ferrari is the passion, and people at the factory won’t count the extra hours they’ve got in the team.

“However, sometimes this exact same passion can be difficult to manage, because passion means also emotions, and it means that in good times you go super high with the emotions.”

• Sainz: Ferrari exit won’t mean end of chances of winning in F1

But the flip side of those peaks is dealing with the tougher moments.

“In difficult times you take it a lot more, it’s a lot more difficult to deal with it,” he admitted.

“However, now since 2019 I’m with the team, and we’ve been working a lot on that, and I think we are much more prepared to face those kind of ups and downs.”

Leclerc insists Ferrari is better equipped now to navigate external criticism or praise, indicating that Ferrari is more insulated from “outside noise” than in previous years.

“I don’t think we are as influenced by the outside noise around the team, than we were maybe two, three, four years ago,” he continued.

“So from that I don’t think that it has any influence, and actually we don’t really realise that inside the team, we are just motivated and happy about the actual situation.

“We are in a good place, and we are working in the right direction, but we don’t really pay attention to what’s being said outside.”

Assessing Ferrari’s current situation, Leclerc believes that the Scuderia’s new-found consistency has been crucial in reviving its championship aspirations, a fact validated by the US Grand Prix winner’s unsurpassed tally of 98 points scored since F1’s summer break,

“We’ve been very consistent and I think we’ve been maximising our performance which is the most important thing,” he explained.

“I don’t think we’ve been necessarily the fastest out of those last few races. However, we were the most consistent and we’ve maximised most points against our competitors.

“We had the best car in Austin, though, which is a good thing, because especially coming to the last five races that’s what we needed.

“It’s the best possible way to start this triple header, but before that I don’t think we had the strongest car.

“But we were doing the best job as a team trying to bring maximum points home. So yeah that’s our goal this season and I hope it will pay off.”

Last week, Ferrari enjoyed a dominant win at The Circuit of the Americas, but Leclerc believes the Italian outfit can build on its momentum this weekend at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

“Last weekend went extremely well for us,” he said. “We were particularly strong in races and in race pace. In qualifying, we struggled a little bit more.

“However, on the paper, Mexico should be quite a good track for us. That doesn’t mean we’ll reduce the kind of performance we’ve done in Austin.

“We just need to focus on ourselves.

“Focus on FP2 for me. I will be doing FP1. Ollie [Bearman] will be in the car for FP1. Try and maximise the result this weekend and then we’ll see where it ends up.”

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter