Charles Leclerc, the Ferrari driver, has thrown shade at his team’s underwhelming performance at the beginning of the season, blaming it on excessive expectations triggered by Lewis Hamilton’s arrival in the Formula 1 scene. Leclerc expressed his doubts about Ferrari’s ability to compete for podium finishes, setting a pessimistic tone for the upcoming Spanish Grand Prix.
The Monegasque driver, despite a decent 2nd place finish at his home race, Monaco, anticipates a challenging weekend in Barcelona with the SF-25 struggling for pace in qualifying but hoping for a stronger race pace. Leclerc’s comments about returning to normality might not sit well with the fans, considering Ferrari’s lackluster results in the first part of the season. However, he clarified that the team’s focus was on their own performance rather than overconfidence.
Leclerc addressed the issue by stating, “I don’t think we were too sure of ourselves. There was a lot of excitement surrounding the team at the beginning of the championship, but we couldn’t control it: Lewis Hamilton was coming, and it was a big deal for the F1 paddock. So there was a lot of talk about Ferrari, and there were also many hopes.” Despite internal aspirations to challenge for the championship or at least pick up where they left off last season, Ferrari has fallen short of expectations. Leclerc emphasized that the team had not been overly optimistic but simply failed to deliver in the initial races of the season.
