Charles Leclerc states that Ferrari has been gaining momentum since the Dutch Grand Prix last year, and the progress made in the past six months has generated excitement within the team.
In 2023, Ferrari faced challenges in terms of consistency. However, after the summer break, improvements were made, resulting in the team securing five pole positions out of nine races following their departure from Zandvoort. During this period, there was a single victory in Singapore, and Leclerc finished in the top three in each of the last five races he participated in (excluding his disqualification from third place at Circuit of The Americas and his failure to start in Brazil). Leclerc believes that the atmosphere surrounding Ferrari has become more positive since the end of August.
“When we started the second part of the season, the entire team became highly motivated,” he explained. “I vividly recall the moment when we conducted our specific test in Zandvoort during free practice. We all gathered and had clear results in front of us.
“This greatly motivated the team because we realized the weaknesses of the car, where we needed to focus our efforts, and the direction we needed to take. From that point onward, everyone has been fully committed to the chosen path, and everything has fallen into place.
“After three or four races, we introduced the new floor in Japan, and immediately we noticed improvements in terms of wind sensitivity and the front of the car. I often emphasize the importance of a strong front, and this was a step forward in that regard. I genuinely hope that the momentum we have built since the second part of last year can continue with the upcoming 2024 car.
“I don’t believe this newfound optimism is recent; it actually began six months ago. Nevertheless, it is encouraging to witness, and it fills us with excitement for the future.”
Leclerc also recalls his near-podium finish in Bahrain 12 months ago, which was unfortunately cut short due to a reliability issue. He points out that this incident, along with Ferrari’s sole top-three finish in the subsequent seven races, highlights the danger of placing too much emphasis on the opening round.
“Reflecting on previous years, it is always necessary to wait for two or three races to gauge the strength of our package on different tracks. Sometimes, we may excel on one track but struggle significantly on another.
“We must always wait for two or three races to observe our car’s performance under different conditions, such as varying wind, temperature, and track layouts, before drawing any conclusions about what we can achieve in the season. However, after the first race, we will have a clearer understanding of our position.”
According to the Source racer.com