Leclerc Cautions Ferrari Fans: Monza Win a Step Forward, But Not Enough for Season-Long Dominance

Charles Leclerc cautions that Ferrari's recent improvements are ‘insufficient’ to secure race victories for the remainder of the season.

"Is it sufficient to secure race wins for the rest of the season? I doubt it, but we have made significant progress."

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, outpacing McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.

Prior to Piastri's second visit to the pits, Leclerc trailed by five seconds, underscoring McLaren's dominance at Monza.

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

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

“We need to be careful,” he stated. “Following Monaco, I believe we’ve experienced the four most challenging races of the season, given that Monaco's conditions were uniquely suited to our car at that moment. Similarly, Monza is a track with its own distinctive characteristics.”

“There were many straight sections and few turns. We also had a rear wing specifically designed for this track, which contributed to our victory today. Additionally, we made another upgrade that I believe has significantly narrowed the gap between us and McLaren, though I don't think it's sufficient to make our car the top contender for the rest of the season at different tracks.”

"I'm pleased to have achieved one here in Italy, though I believe there's still plenty of work ahead of us."

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 trails Red Bull by merely 39 points.

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

"This weekend, our performance has been excellent, but the conditions in Baku and Singapore might be completely different. Therefore, we'll need to adjust our approach. We already made adjustments moving from Monaco to Montreal, and as shown by the significant differences between those two weekends, each event can vary greatly."

"We then experienced some of the toughest races of the season as we tried to figure out the issues with our car. Hopefully, we won't face another series of challenging races like that, and I'm optimistic that it won't happen again."

"However, it's crucial that not just the team, but also the expectations from the public, don't escalate unrealistically from one race to the next."

"Have we made progress? Yes. Is it sufficient to start winning races for the rest of the season? Not quite yet, but we've moved in the right direction."

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