Charles Leclerc Brushes Off Ferrari’s Recent Slump, Eyes Austrian Grand Prix Revival
Formula 1 News, Austrian Grand Prix – Charles Leclerc has dismissed concerns about Ferrari’s recent performance dip, insisting that the team can bounce back to the top in this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix. The Monegasque driver’s victory in Monaco last month sparked hopes of a title challenge, but Ferrari’s double retirement in Canada and lackluster pace in Spain have since tempered expectations.
However, Leclerc is adamant that there is no underlying trend behind the team’s struggles, citing tyre issues in Montreal and a failure to maximize their updated car’s potential in Barcelona. “I don’t think so,” he said, when asked if Ferrari’s set-up direction was to blame. “Montreal, I think we’ve identified quite well what was going wrong, and it was more down to the tyres. In Barcelona, I think it was just raw pace and we’re just slower than what we expected, but I don’t think we didn’t optimise our package.”
Leclerc believes that Ferrari can bridge the gap to rivals McLaren and Red Bull, which he estimates at around two-tenths of a second on traditional circuits. “Well, I get the gap that there was from us to pole position, which was two or three tenths in Barcelona,” he explained. “However, I feel like the potential is in the car, we just need to optimise our package and then we’ll be back to where we want.”
The Ferrari driver is confident that the team can iron out its weaknesses, particularly in slow-speed corners, where they lost significant lap time in Barcelona. “We’ve been struggling mostly with long, slow-speed corners, which here they are a little bit less, so that’s a good sign for us,” he said, referencing the Red Bull Ring’s track configuration.
“The preparation on the simulator for this track went well, so I feel confident we’ll be back in the fight,” he said.
As the Formula 1 calendar moves on to the Austrian Grand Prix, all eyes will be on Ferrari to see if they can recover from their recent slump and get back in the title hunt. With Leclerc’s bullish assessment, Formula 1 today looks set for an exciting weekend of racing.
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