Charles Leclerc, the young and talented driver of Ferrari, is demanding updates and improvements from the team if they want to have any chance of consistently reaching the podium in Formula 1 races. After securing back-to-back podium finishes, Leclerc is hungry for more success but acknowledges the need for rapid developments to compete with the likes of McLaren.
At the recent Spanish Grand Prix, Leclerc benefited from a well-timed Safety Car period that allowed him to overtake Max Verstappen and clinch a third-place finish. Despite this achievement, Leclerc is aware that Ferrari still lags behind McLaren in terms of performance and speed. The Monegasque driver admitted, “I arrived in third place because I was lucky with the Safety Car; otherwise, I would have been in fourth place. I believe we are starting to understand the car and how to set it up to get the maximum out of it, but we need to go in rather extreme directions. So, without updates very soon, I think it will be difficult to regularly fight for the podium.”
While Leclerc feels more comfortable in the car compared to the beginning of the season, he remains unsatisfied with the overall performance. Despite achieving podium finishes in Barcelona and Monaco, he expressed mixed feelings about the results. Leclerc stated, “I’m not over the moon about a second or third place. But it’s still a great feeling because I didn’t expect either the podium in Barcelona or the podium in Monaco. In Monte Carlo, the disappointment was great because we were very strong in all the free practice sessions, while in Barcelona we were not. However, I knew I had sacrificed qualifying to be fast in the race, and it seems that this has paid off, thanks in part to a bit of luck. I am very happy with our weekend but not with our overall performance.”
As Ferrari strives to regain its dominance in Formula 1, Leclerc’s call for urgent upgrades highlights the intense competition and pressure in the world of motorsport. With the season unfolding, all eyes are on Ferrari to see if they can deliver the improvements needed to propel Leclerc and the team to greater success on the track.
