Charles Leclerc, the Monaco driver, achieved third place in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, which took place on March 9, 2024. Leclerc believes that Ferrari has shown the most improvement among all Formula 1 teams in the last six months. This result reflects Carlos Sainz’s performance in Bahrain, as Ferrari once again proved to be the closest competitor to the dominant Red Bulls. Starting from second position, Leclerc faced a challenge from Sergio Perez in the early corners, but managed to hold his ground and maintain his position. However, Perez eventually overtook Leclerc on the fourth lap and increased the gap to finish the race 10 seconds ahead. Leclerc acknowledges that Ferrari’s lower top speed is a disadvantage and questions whether using the same rear wing configuration from Bahrain was the right choice. Despite facing obstacles such as the Safety Car intervention and slower cars on the track, Leclerc and the Ferrari team maximized their performance.
“We faced difficulties during the early stages of each tire change, whether at the start of the medium compound or at the start of the hards. We struggled to activate the tires. Towards the end of the stint, we managed the medium tires quite well, but we didn’t see the same improvement with the hards. We noticed some progress towards the end, but it was too late to fully recover from the setbacks we faced at the beginning of the race. Overall, it was a positive race.”
Ferrari had a significantly better start to this season compared to the previous one, during which they dealt with a challenging car that was sensitive to the wind. However, a mid-season concept change propelled Ferrari up the rankings, resulting in their only non-Red Bull victory last year and finishing just three points behind second place. The team has maintained this momentum in 2024 with a more adaptable car compared to its predecessor. This has increased Leclerc’s optimism about reducing the gap to Red Bull.
“I believe we are gradually progressing in the right direction,” he said. “If I reflect on the last six to seven months, we have been the team that has shown the most improvement. We are slowly closing the gap. The difference is still quite substantial, but if we continue working this way, it is only a matter of time before we start putting more pressure on the Red Bulls.”
