The Austrian Grand Prix was a rollercoaster of emotions for Charles Leclerc of Team Ferrari, who managed to secure a spot on the podium, marking only the fourth podium finish for the Scuderia this season. Leclerc’s performance, along with Ferrari’s, showcased their dominance as the best of the rest, with reigning champion Lewis Hamilton trailing behind in fourth place.
Reflecting on the race, Leclerc expressed mixed feelings about their performance, stating, “I evaluate our team’s weekend very positively. Unfortunately, our pace simply wasn’t enough. In the first corner, I thought about taking a risk, but Lando closed the door, allowing Oscar to sneak through. They were too fast for us to secure second place, so third was the best we could achieve. I have no regrets about our efforts. I believe we gave our all. We just didn’t have enough pace.”
Leclerc went on to analyze their race pace, acknowledging, “I pushed too hard in the beginning, trying to keep up with them, which caused more tire wear. It’s part of the game. We need more pace eventually. We brought some improvements this weekend, and they definitely helped us take a step forward. But we need to keep pushing in that direction to close the gap with McLaren, which is performing exceptionally well.”
The Austrian Grand Prix proved to be a challenging yet rewarding event for Leclerc and Ferrari, highlighting their determination to improve and compete at the highest level in Formula 1. Fans can expect to see more fierce battles and strategic maneuvers from Leclerc as the season progresses, with the driver and the team aiming to climb higher on the podium in the upcoming races.
