Leclerc Cautions Ferrari: Upgrades Not Enough to Challenge McLaren for 2024 F1 Season

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

"Is it sufficient to secure wins for the rest 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 enhance their performance to consistently compete with McLaren throughout the rest of the 2024 F1 season.

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

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

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

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

"We need to be careful," he stated. "Following Monaco, I believe we experienced our four toughest races of the season, since Monaco was uniquely suited to our car back then. Monza is another track that is highly unique and distinct."

"There were many straight sections and only a few turns. We had a rear wing designed for this track, which played a crucial role in our victory today. We also introduced another upgrade that I believe has certainly brought us closer to McLaren, although I doubt it will make us the dominant car for the remainder of the season on different tracks."

"We've got a lot ahead of us, but I'm thrilled to have achieved this here in Italy."

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

In the constructors' championship, 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.

"This weekend has been great for us, but Baku might be a whole new challenge, and Singapore could be different once more. We need to start fresh each time. We managed to reset between Monaco and Montreal, but as experienced, the transition from one to the other was significant."

After that, we endured some of the most challenging races of the season as we tried to figure out the issues with our car. Moving forward, I hope we won't face another string of tough races, and I believe that won't happen.

"However, it's crucial to ensure that both the team and external expectations don't escalate unrealistically after just one race."

"Have we made progress? Yes, we have. But is it sufficient to secure victories for the rest of the season? Not quite yet, though we are moving in the right direction."

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