Charles Leclerc’s impressive drive at the Dutch Grand Prix saw him climb from sixth on the grid to secure a well-deserved third-place finish, giving Ferrari a much-needed morale boost ahead of their home race at Monza. Leclerc overtook Red Bull’s Sergio Perez at the start and then made decisive moves on Mercedes’ George Russell and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, holding off the latter to claim his spot on the podium. His teammate, Carlos Sainz Jr., also had a strong showing, moving up from 10th to finish fifth.
This result was particularly surprising for Ferrari, as Leclerc had previously stated that the team was targeting a sixth-place finish in what he described as a “damage limitation” exercise before the arrival of significant car upgrades at Monza. The podium finish was a timely boost for a team that started the 2024 season with aspirations of challenging for wins but had since struggled to keep pace with the leading teams.
“Very, very surprised. I´m not very often happy with a P3 but I think with today´s race we can be extremely happy with the job we´ve done on a difficult weekend for the team,” Leclerc reflected. “We´d been struggling from Friday until the race. In the race, we found some more pace, executed a perfect strategy … So a really strong race for the team and really happy to start the second half [of the season] like this.”
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur echoed Leclerc’s sentiments, praising the team’s execution and resilience over the weekend. “We were not very optimistic coming to Zandvoort, but today it went very well for both sides of the garage,” Vasseur said. “We had good starts, good strategy, good pit stops, with both drivers managing their tyres very well. Charles was able to keep Piastri behind him and deserved this podium.”
Vasseur acknowledged that while the result was encouraging, Ferrari’s focus remains on closing the gap to the front. “We have to be positive and appreciate this, even if we have to keep in mind that [Lando] Norris was a long way ahead and really, we need to focus on getting wins, not finishing P3,” he noted. “There are still nine races to go, some of them will suit us better than others and we must see what we can do with the new package that is coming soon, but today has certainly been a confidence boost for the team.”
Ferrari began the season as Red Bull’s closest rival, but they have since lost ground to both McLaren and Mercedes. While Leclerc’s victory at Monaco in May remains Ferrari’s last win, the team has managed three podiums in the six races since. In contrast, McLaren and Mercedes have been consistently challenging Red Bull, with Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton taking victories at the British and Belgian Grands Prix.
The upcoming race at Monza will be crucial for Ferrari as they introduce their latest upgrades in a bid to close the gap to their rivals. With Hamilton set to join Ferrari in 2025, replacing Sainz who is moving to Williams, the team is focused on finishing the 2024 season on a high note and building momentum for the future.
Photo from Charles Leclerc Instagram
