Leclerc was unable to resist the advances of Mercedes for a significant amount of time. Charles Leclerc has acknowledged that he cannot view his fourth-place finish in Formula 1’s Belgian Grand Prix as a “positive” due to Ferrari’s lack of pace compared to Mercedes. Leclerc inherited pole position after Max Verstappen’s penalty, but he slipped behind both Mercedes drivers and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri during the race.
Despite initially leading the race, Leclerc was unable to prevent Lewis Hamilton from overtaking him on the Kemmel Straight on the third lap. Leclerc maintained his position after the pit stops, but a drop in pace in the final stint allowed Piastri to pass him, and he was unable to catch George Russell, who only made one pit stop. However, Leclerc successfully defended against Max Verstappen and Lando Norris in the closing stages and inherited a podium finish after Russell’s disqualification. Leclerc admitted that Ferrari’s lack of speed was the main factor in his result, stating that they were the fourth fastest car on the track. He also expressed disappointment that Mercedes outperformed their expectations.
Leclerc had predicted that Ferrari would be able to compete with Mercedes, but instead, they found themselves behind two Mercedes and one McLaren. The decline in Ferrari’s performance since Leclerc’s win in Monaco has been attributed to upgrades in Barcelona that caused bouncing in high-speed corners. Leclerc explained that this bouncing became more pronounced as the fuel load decreased, leading to more difficulties in the final stint of the race. However, he clarified that the issue was not severe.
