Charles Leclerc says Ferrari’s solid progress has put the Italian outfit “in a good moment” but its strong form doesn’t mean it will close out the F1 season by winning every remaining race.
Thanks to its recent stellar run of form which saw the team claim back-to-back wins in Austin and Mexico City, the Scuderia finds itself in an intense three-way battle with McLaren and Red Bull, with just 54 points separating the teams in the Constructors’ standings.
Ahead of this weekend’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix, Ferrari’s runner-up spot in the championship has ignited hopes of the team delivering its first F1 world title to the House of Maranello since 2008.
However, Leclerc remains cautious and prefers to temper the excitement surrounding Ferrari’s hopes for the season’s final races.
“The only thing I can say is we had a new front wing in Singapore and that’s it. However, it’s going in the right direction. I think in Monza we had a new first upgrade and in Singapore a second one,” commented Leclerc when asked about Ferrari’s recent performance boost.
“But everything went in the right direction, we just didn’t have the tracks that were helping to highlight those upgrades, and once we arrived in Austin we knew that would be a very important race for us to show how much of a step forward we did, and we did. That’s a good thing.”
Leclerc is optimistic but clear-headed, warning against the assumption that Ferrari’s recent victories are a sign they’ll dominate every race moving forward.
“That doesn’t mean we will win all races from now on because I still feel like McLaren, for example, last weekend, I felt like they were the strongest team,” he added.
“Lando’s second stint was very strong and I think we were a bit lucky that Max did what he did! So that helped us as a team.
"Having said that, Carlos [Sainz] definitely deserved [the win in Mexico] because he did a better job than anybody. It’s a good thing, we are in a good time with the team and hopefully we can win the constructors’.”
Leclerc acknowledged that it’s still all to play for in the championship for F1’s top-three contenders, but again, the Monegasque made it clear that Ferrari’s recent successes don’t guarantee future victories, and they won’t let the results of past weekends affect their focus.
“You never say never in Formula 1, but we feel like we are in a good moment for the team,” he said.
“We don’t have that much of a huge points difference between Red Bull and [us], so everything is open still.
“We can finish third in the constructors’ championship, we can win it, we can finish second, everything is open.
"So we’ve got to stay focused on ourselves, just like we’ve done in the last two races because that worked out pretty well for us, so that is our target.
“We shouldn’t get influenced by the fact that things have gone well in the last two races, we just need to reset every weekend and go again. Hopefully that will bring us to similar race weekends as the last two.”
For Ferrari, the path forward is about consistency and steady improvement, not bold predictions. Leclerc’s grounded outlook and focus on teamwork underscore a Ferrari team that is resolute but realistic as they push toward a potential constructors’ championship win.
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
