Charles Leclerc, the driver from Monaco representing Ferrari, expressed his confidence in overcoming his recent struggles in Formula 1 qualifying sessions. Leclerc, known for his exceptional performance in one-lap races, has been outperformed by his teammate Carlos Sainz in the early stages of the 2024 season. In Australia, Leclerc missed the opportunity to secure a Ferrari 1-2 finish due to a lackluster performance, placing him fifth on the starting grid while Sainz claimed a spot on the front row. The following race in Japan further highlighted Leclerc’s difficulties as he finished four places behind Sainz despite being only one-tenth of a second slower. This setback cost Leclerc a podium finish at Suzuka, prompting him to address his shortcomings during the break leading up to the Chinese Grand Prix. Although Leclerc acknowledges Sainz’s superior performance thus far, he remains optimistic about identifying and improving upon his weaknesses. Leclerc admitted that Sainz has simply been performing better, particularly in the qualifying phase where Leclerc has struggled to put together a strong lap. He emphasized the importance of finding the right balance during the out-lap and ensuring the tires are in optimal condition. Leclerc acknowledged Sainz’s high level of driving and viewed it as beneficial for both the team and himself. He has been working diligently to address these issues and is confident in his ability to make rapid improvements. Leclerc is determined to demonstrate his progress on the track, starting with tomorrow’s qualifying session.
Red Bull recovered from its challenging weekend in Melbourne to achieve a perfect score in Japan, with Max Verstappen finishing 20 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Sainz in third place. However, Leclerc anticipates that Red Bull will continue to set the standard, but he believes that Ferrari’s resurgence this season will receive a boost at the Shanghai International Circuit. “Based on our analysis, I believe it is a circuit where we could demonstrate some improvement compared to Suzuka,” he remarked. “Nevertheless, we will approach it with the same strategy. I still believe that Red Bull will have the advantage this weekend, and we must concentrate on our own performance because, as we have witnessed, particularly during qualifying in Suzuka, if we fail to deliver on Saturday and find ourselves starting from a lower position, it can be detrimental to our chances.”
This weekend’s event will be the first time the revised Sprint format is implemented in 2024, granting the teams one hour of practice to optimize their respective setups. Ferrari’s simulation data has shown a positive correlation with on-track performance when the adjusted weekend schedule was utilized last season, providing an additional opportunity to outperform the Red Bull team. “It will be crucial, particularly during a Sprint weekend where we have two qualifying sessions, to extract the utmost potential from the car in both instances,” Leclerc emphasized. “Furthermore, I believe we have displayed considerable strength during races this year.”