Leclerc Cautious Despite Ferrari’s Monza Win: More Upgrades Needed to Challenge McLaren for 2024 F1 Season

Charles Leclerc cautions that Ferrari's recent improvements are insufficient for consistent victories for the remainder of the season. "Is it adequate for us to secure wins for the rest of the season? I don't believe so, but we've made significant progress in the right direction," he stated.

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

Leclerc secured his second triumph of the season by utilizing a one-stop strategy to outperform the McLaren pair of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.

Before Piastri took his second pit stop, Leclerc was trailing by five seconds, indicating that McLaren had the fastest vehicle at Monza.

Ferrari unveiled a major enhancement package for the Italian Grand Prix, aimed at resolving 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 mentioned. “Since Monaco, I believe we've experienced the four most challenging races of the season, as Monaco's conditions were uniquely suited to our car at that moment. Monza, too, is a unique and distinctive circuit.

"A lot of straight sections with few turns. We used a rear wing designed for this track, which contributed to our victory today. Additionally, we introduced another upgrade that I believe has brought us closer to McLaren, though I doubt it will make us the leading car for the remainder of the season on different tracks."

"We have plenty of tasks ahead, but I'm truly delighted 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 trails Red Bull by only 39 points.

However, Leclerc has tempered expectations, pointing to comparable discussions of a championship bid after his victory in Monaco.

"Our performance has been impressive this weekend, but the conditions in Baku could be quite different, and Singapore will present another unique challenge. We need to approach each race with a fresh perspective. We successfully adjusted our strategy from Monaco to Montreal, but as demonstrated, the transition from one weekend to the next can bring significant changes."

"We experienced some of the toughest races of the season, about three or four, while trying to figure out the issues with our car. Hopefully, we won't face several more challenging races moving forward, and I don't believe we will."

"However, it's crucial to ensure that both the team and external expectations remain grounded and don't skyrocket from one race to the next, as that would be unrealistic."

"Have we made progress? Yes. Is it sufficient to secure victories for the remainder of the season? Not quite yet, but we've definitely moved in the right direction."

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