Leclerc: Ferrari unlikely to ‘recover points’ from McLaren in Qatar

Charles Leclerc has cast doubt on Ferrari's ability to further close the gap to McLaren in the Constructors’ Championship at this week’s Qatar Grand Prix, citing the Lusail International Circuit’s characteristics as a disadvantage for the SF-24.

With only two rounds remaining in the 2024 Formula 1 season, Ferrari trails McLaren by 24 points, leaving little margin for error for either team in their quest to secure the title.

Ferrari's hopes of cutting into McLaren’s lead were bolstered last weekend in Las Vegas, where Carlos Sainz finished third and Leclerc fourth.

However, expectations that the SF-24 would dominate on the Strip were dashed by the severe tyre graining, while Mercedes stunned the paddock with a commanding 1-2 finish, led by George Russell.

• Read also: F1i's Driver Ratings for the 2024 Las Vegas GP

Looking ahead to Qatar, Leclerc acknowledged the challenge of outperforming McLaren on a circuit favoring high-speed cornering, a key strength of the MCL38.

“Yeah, it’s going to be until the very end,” commented Leclerc, quoted by Motorsport Week.

“I think they are going to be very strong in Qatar, so we’ve got to have a good weekend and I would be very surprised if we recover points from them.

“But we’ve got to, so we’ll do our best. But I expect it to be tricky.”

Ferrari’s fight for second in the standings has been further complicated by the strong form of its rivals, particularly Mercedes and Red Bull, who could limit the Scuderia’s scoring opportunities.

Teammate Carlos Sainz echoed Leclerc’s concerns, pointing to the nature of the Lusail circuit and the expected strength of Ferrari’s rivals.

“We need to go into that trying to maximise whatever we have,” the Spaniard said. “I think over the last few weekends we’ve done a good job.

“Yesterday the maximum was a P2 in quali, today the maximum was a P3 in the race.

“In Qatar, the maximum might be a P5 or P6 because with this car in a track like Qatar, I expect to struggle and I expect McLaren and Mercedes to be very strong.

“Also even Red Bull, given that they were strong also in quali in Austin.

“So yeah, I think it’s going to be a very challenging weekend for us. That’s why today it was important for us to get maximum number of points available.”

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