Charles Leclerc claims it’s ‘too early’ to think about challenging Max Verstappen for the 2024 F1 title

Max Verstappen has dominated Formula 1 in the ground-effect era since 2022. The Dutch driver has been in a league of his own compared to the rest of the grid. However, Ferrari and McLaren have managed to defeat the three-time world champion in a few races this season. Nevertheless, Charles Leclerc asserted that he was not focused on the 2024 title for now.

Leclerc was confused when he heard that his gap to Max Verstappen was just 31 points after his victory in Monaco. The Monegasque driver claimed that he had been informed that the gap was mere 23. Nevertheless, Charles Leclerc was content as he was starting to close in on the Dutchman in the standings.

Oh, is it 31? Oh, somebody told me 23, so I was excited. But 31 is okay. I mean, I'll take it anyway, but it's a bit more than what I had been told. So, yeah, it's okay.

Charles Leclerc said, as reported by RacingNews365

However, the Ferrari driver affirmed that he was not thinking about the championship at the moment. Charles Leclerc highlighted that it was still early in the season with 16 more rounds to go. Although, Leclerc would be hoping to potentially challenge Max Verstappen this year.

But I don't think about the championship for now anyway, and it's still too early on in the season.

Charles Leclerc stated

Charles Leclerc claims Ferrari can get there ‘little by little’

Ferrari seemed to be behind Red Bull at the start of the season courtesy of the RB20. However, Maranello has formed a constant stream of upgrades to get closer to the reigning world champions. The package for the Emilia Romagna GP seemed to have worked. As Charles Leclerc had a dominant weekend at his home race in Monaco.

Nevertheless, Leclerc claimed that it would take a few more races for the Scuderia to understand if the upgrades met the team’s goals. Charles Leclerc emphasized that Ferrari needed to maximize every race weekend this year. The Monegasque reckoned that bit by bit, Maranello could manage to defeat Max Verstappen and Red Bull.

I think the upgrades that we have brought in Imola, we have still to see how well they work and where it will bring us. And then it's all about maximising all weekends, and then hopefully, little by little, we'll get there.

Charles Leclerc noted

Certainly, Charles Leclerc and Ferrari are happy after the Monaco GP. However, the Italian team would need to continue focusing on in-season upgrades with McLaren not far behind in the standings. Perhaps, fans could even witness a three-way battle for the world title if Lando Norris consistently matches Verstappen and Leclerc.

In case you missed it:

• Helmut Marko claims Red Bull will ‘really have a problem’ if it fails to perform at Spanish GP
• Max Verstappen reveals one aspect that’s preventing him from racing at Le Mans

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