Charles Leclerc speaks to the media
Observing that Red Bull and McLaren are doing “something weird” with their energy deployment, Charles Leclerc says Ferrari have now done a “proper analysis” and will learn from that.
At the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Leclerc successfully secured third place for Scuderia, marking their first podium at Imola since Michael Schumacher’s achievement in 2006.
‘We just have to look into it, but it’s no big deal’
However, even though he closely trailed Max Verstappen, the race winner, with a mere eight-second gap, Lando Norris persistently chased him until the finish line. Leclerc found it puzzling that he lost time to the frontrunners on the straight sections of the track rather than during the corners.
“I thought we were losing in Turn 2, 3, 4, which would have been tyre-related, but that wasn’t the case,” he said. “We lost everything in the straights and they are doing something weird with the energy engine-wise, McLaren and Red Bull.”
Declaring at the time that Ferrari will “look into it”, Leclerc told the media including PlanetF1.com in Monaco that’s exactly what they’ve done.
After performing what he referred to as a “thorough analysis”, he maintains his lack of concern regarding what lies ahead.
He expressed that it was not a concern before his home race in Monaco.
“It’s evident that we observed a glimpse of it in the previous race and in Jeddah. However, I believe it primarily depends on our overall management approach, and it’s not an unalterable circumstance that we cannot modify in the near future.”
“So, we only need to investigate it, but it’s not a significant issue.”
However, it appears that Red Bull and McLaren had a more favorable performance in Imola, while we missed out on some valuable time. We have thoroughly investigated the matter.
Here, I believe the impact will not be significant as we are in a completely different situation. However, it has the potential to make a difference for the remainder of the season.
“We have conducted a thorough analysis and are confident that we will learn from it and experience growth.”
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The issue was also downplayed by his team-mate Carlos Sainz.
He informed the media, including PlanetF1.com, that this year’s performance is solely due to the package. In terms of mechanical aspects, we have not been as strong in low-speed corners compared to last year.
I am unsure if Red Bull and McLaren have improved their performance.
This specific aspect is so unique that it doesn’t truly matter. It pertains to the mechanical grip, the smoothness of the ride, and the quality of the tires.
“I find it incredibly spacious and yet surprisingly snug.”
Ferrari will line up on the Monaco grid second in the Constructors’ Championship on 212 points, 56 behind Red Bull. Leclerc is second in the Drivers’ standings but trails Verstappen by 48 points.
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