Charles Leclerc Urges Caution Despite Ferrari’s Monza Victory: Upgrades ‘Not Enough’ for Season-Long Dominance

Charles Leclerc cautions that Ferrari's latest improvements are 'insufficient' to secure victories for the rest of the season.

"Will it be enough to clinch wins for the remaining races this season? I don't believe so yet, but we've made a positive stride forward."

Charles Leclerc has cautioned that Ferrari must enhance their performance further if they want to reliably compete with McLaren throughout 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 the McLaren pair of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.

Prior to Piastri’s second pit stop, Leclerc trailed by five seconds, underscoring McLaren’s superior speed at Monza.

Ferrari unveiled a major set of improvements for the Italian Grand Prix, aimed at addressing their issues with car bouncing.

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

He emphasized the need for caution, mentioning that after the Monaco race, they experienced the four most challenging races of the season. He pointed out that Monaco's track uniquely suited their car at that time, and similarly, Monza has its own distinct characteristics.

"There were many straight sections and few turns. We also had a rear wing designed specifically for this track, which contributed to our victory today. Additionally, we introduced another upgrade that I believe has brought us closer to McLaren's performance. However, I don't think this will make us the leading car for the remainder of the season on different tracks."

"We still have much to accomplish, but I'm still very pleased to have one here in Italy."

Although Leclerc has faced a challenging period since the Monaco race, he is only 24 points behind Norris in the drivers' standings.

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

However, Leclerc has minimized expectations, referencing similar discussions about a championship bid after his victory in Monaco.

"We performed exceptionally well this weekend, but each location presents its own challenges, with Baku and Singapore likely being quite distinct. Therefore, we need to start fresh each time. We successfully transitioned from Monaco to Montreal, and as demonstrated, the difference between those two weekends was significant."

"We then endured three or four of the toughest races of the season as we worked to figure out the issues with our car. Hopefully, we won't face another stretch of challenging races from here on out, and I don't believe that will happen."

"However, it's crucial that both the team and external expectations remain grounded and don't soar unrealistically from one race to the next."

"Did we make progress? Yes. Is it sufficient to secure victories for the rest of the season? Not quite yet, but it was a positive move."

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