Leclerc Cautions Ferrari Fans Despite Monza Victory: ‘Upgrades Not Enough to Win Races Until End of Season

Charles Leclerc cautions that Ferrari’s recent upgrade is ‘insufficient’ to ‘secure victories for the rest of the season’

"Will it be enough to clinch race wins for the remainder of the season? I don't believe so just yet, 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 throughout the rest of the 2024 F1 season.

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

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

Ferrari unveiled a major enhancement package 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".

"We need to be careful," he stated. "Since Monaco, we've experienced the four most challenging races of the season, as Monaco's conditions were uniquely suited to our car at the time. Monza also presents a unique and distinctive track."

"A significant number of straight sections and few turns characterized this track. We also equipped our car with a rear wing suited for this circuit, which contributed to our victory today. Additionally, we introduced another upgrade that has certainly narrowed the gap with McLaren. However, I believe it won't be sufficient to make us the leading car on different tracks for the remainder of the season."

"I believe there's still plenty of effort required, but I'm truly pleased to have achieved this in Italy."

Despite facing challenges since the Monaco race, Leclerc 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 tempered expectations, referencing previous discussions of a championship bid after his victory in Monaco.

"We performed exceptionally well this weekend, but the conditions in Baku could be entirely different, and the same goes for Singapore. Therefore, we need to adjust our approach accordingly. We made a significant shift from Monaco to Montreal, and as experienced, the transition between these two events was substantial."

"We then experienced a few of the toughest races of the season, primarily because we were working to figure out the issues with our car. Moving forward, I hope we don’t encounter several more challenging races, and I believe that won’t happen."

“However, it's crucial that both the team and external expectations remain grounded and don't skyrocket from one race to the next, as this wouldn't be realistic.

"Have we made progress? Yes. Is it sufficient to start winning races from now until the season ends? Not quite yet, though we are moving in the right direction."

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