Formula 1 News: Leclerc Reveals Ferrari’s Spanish Grand Prix Upgrades Won’t Immediately Resolve Low-Speed Weakness
Charles Leclerc has confirmed that Ferrari’s upgrades at this weekend’s Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix are intended to enhance overall performance, rather than specifically addressing the team’s low-speed weakness (Formula 1 news, Formula 1 today). The Monegasque driver acknowledged that Ferrari has struggled in slow-speed corners, particularly since the Chinese Grand Prix, but emphasized that the latest package is a pre-planned development aimed at adding downforce and reducing drag (Formula 1 standings).
“We have seen since two or three races, I mean since China especially, that we have this weakness with low-speed corners,” Leclerc explained. “We’ll try to tackle, however, it was too short term to tackle it with this one. I think this one is just to try and improve the package overall, as every team try to add a little bit of downforce, try to take off a little bit of drag, and then you’ve got a better car.”
Despite Ferrari’s competitiveness this season, with two victories and nine podiums from the first nine races, the SF-24 has struggled to match its rivals in low-speed corners. Leclerc revealed that the team’s issue is more complex than simply finding a balance between high and low speed, citing an inherent problem with the car’s design that will require additional updates to rectify (Formula 1 calendar).
Leclerc believes that Red Bull will return to being the benchmark team on a more conventional track like Barcelona, where its kerb-riding woes won’t be exposed. However, he remains optimistic that Ferrari’s new parts will help bridge the gap to Red Bull, providing encouragement for the remaining races.
“My personal opinion is that we will see a stronger Red Bull and a Red Bull that we have seen at the beginning of the season back here in Barcelona,” Leclerc claimed. “However, we also have some new parts in the car for this weekend and if that helps us to be very close here it’s a good sign for the rest because normally Barcelona is quite representative for the rest of the season.”
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