Charles Leclerc claims the post-Dutch GP upgrades have made SF-23 ‘far from his preferences’
Charles Leclerc rules out the possibility of him or Carlos Sanz repeating Singapore GP at Suzuka.
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Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc (Via IMAGO)
Charles Leclerc encountered a challenging race at the Singapore GP as he had to settle for P5 after starting at P2. His teammate Carlos Sainz helped the Italian outfit secure their first win of 2023 and became the only non-Red Bull team to win this year. The Dutch GP upgrades played a significant role in Ferrari’s race pace. But for Leclerc, the updates weren’t the best thing that could have happened. He claims that the changes made to the SF-23 don’t align with his driving preferences.
Ferrari had their strongest weekend of the year on Sunday as they topped both practice and qualifying sessions before controlling the whole race. Leclerc played the ultimate team game by defending Sainz from Mercedes throughout. He suffered a setback when he pitted during a safety car period. He got held up in pit lane traffic. While Sainz managed to break Red Bull’s dominant streak and end Max Verstappen’s impressive ten consecutive wins, Leclerc finished outside the podium.
Recognizing Ferrari’s resurgence, Charles Leclerc stated that to enhance their performance, the team had to focus more on adjusting the car’s setup. According to him, this involved letting go of settings that did not align with his personal driving preferences to achieve a more balanced and stable performance.
“It also pushes me to understand my driving style a little more and try to adapt it to this car. There is a a little too much understeer for my tastes and I struggle to drive it. Due to the unpredictability of the car I can’t have the oversteer I would like,” said Charles Leclerc, as reported by Motorsports.com
Charles Leclerc admits it would be difficult to gain better results in Suzuka GP
In the upcoming round of the 2023 season, the teams will head to Suzuka for the Japanese Grand Prix. Charles Leclerc acknowledged that Ferrari has a target on their backs due to Max Verstappen’s dominant performance on the track last year, which secured his second world championship title.
“We should not sit on a pink cloud. Red Bull has been the team to beat all season and I think that in Japan they are back to their old level. We will see whether we actually achieve such big steps,” said Charles Leclerc.
Before the Singapore GP, Red Bull and Max Verstappen had an incredible winning streak, winning all 14 races and Verstappen claiming victory in 12. However, Ferrari brought an end to this streak over the weekend. Despite their recent success, Ferrari is currently trailing both Mercedes and Red Bull in the standings with 228 points. They are still aiming to secure the second position in the constructors’ championship.
In case you missed it:
- Singapore GP is the concrete proof that without Red Bull rocketships 2023 would have been the best ever
- Martin Brundle apologizes to Oscar Piastri for one of the biggest snubs in F1 grid walk history
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Justin P Joy
(4970 Articles Published)