Charles Leclerc Urges Caution Despite Ferrari Upgrades: ‘Not Enough’ to Win Remaining Races of 2024 F1 Season

Charles Leclerc cautions that Ferrari's improvement is 'insufficient' to 'secure victories for the remainder of the season'

"Will it be sufficient to clinch race wins for the rest of the season? I doubt it, but we've made significant progress in the right direction."

Charles Leclerc has cautioned that Ferrari must improve their performance to regularly compete with McLaren for the rest of the 2024 F1 season.

Leclerc secured his second win of the season by utilizing a one-stop strategy, allowing him to outperform McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.

Prior to Piastri's second pit stop, Leclerc was trailing by five seconds, underscoring that McLaren had the fastest car at Monza.

Ferrari unveiled a major enhancement package for the Italian Grand Prix, focused on addressing their issues with car bouncing.

During the FIA press conference following the Monza race, Leclerc advised Ferrari to "exercise caution."

"We need to be careful," he remarked. "Following Monaco, I believe we experienced the four most challenging races of the season, as Monaco's conditions were uniquely suited to our car at that moment. Similarly, Monza is a track with its own unique characteristics."

"There were many straight sections and few turns. We also had a specialized rear wing designed for this circuit, which contributed to our victory. Additionally, we implemented another upgrade that has certainly helped us close the gap with McLaren. However, I don't believe this will make our car the one to beat on different tracks for the remainder of the season."

"We still have a significant amount of work ahead of us, but I'm nonetheless pleased to have achieved one here in Italy."

Even though Leclerc has faced challenges since the Monaco race, he is only 24 points behind Norris in the drivers' standings.

In the constructors' standings, Ferrari is trailing Red Bull by only 39 points.

However, Leclerc has tempered expectations, pointing to similar championship challenge discussions that arose after his victory in Monaco.

"This weekend we performed exceptionally well, but Baku might present a completely different challenge, and Singapore will likely be distinct as well. Therefore, we need to recalibrate. We successfully adjusted from Monaco to Montreal, but as demonstrated, the shift from Monaco to Montreal was substantial from one weekend to the next."

"We experienced about three or four of the most challenging races this season while attempting to figure out the issues with our car. Hopefully, we won't face another string of tough races moving forward, and I believe that won't be the case."

“However, it's crucial that both the team and external expectations don't skyrocket after just one race, as that's not realistic.

"Have we made progress? Yes. Is it sufficient to secure victories for the rest of the season? Not yet, in my opinion, but we have definitely moved in the right direction."

Discover More

Recent Updates

Recent Updates

Site Navigation

Crash.Net

©1999-2024 Crash Media Group

Copying or reproducing text, images, or illustrations, either entirely or in part, is strictly prohibited in any manner.